Dark Red
by TaylaNovak
Summary: Despite Emma's heroics, it is Ruby who succumbs to the darkness and becomes the new Dark One. But for a wolf, the darkness is not an enemy, an invader. It's a friend. All of Storybrooke is changed with the rise of the Dark Wolf. Being the Dark Wolf is almost fun for Ruby, until she decides that she wants more...she wants a mate. Or mates... Contains mild OQ & SQ and possible others
1. Chapter 1

"I saved you." Emma said. "Now save me." She commanded.

"I didn't ask you to save me." Regina hissed. "You're the hero. You made your choice."

Emma scowled, taking a step back. "I saved your life. That darkness would've killed you."

"That may be, but I didn't ask for your help. That is all you and your parents are worth: calling yourselves heroes, calling stupid acts heroic deeds and expecting the world to fall at your feet. Why would I help you when you and your wretched family have done nothing but destroy my happy ending after happy ending."

"Because Henry would want you to. That's what a hero would do. It's the right thing to do."

"Henry? You mean the son I haven't seen in two months?!" Regina roared. She could hear her voice ringing around the forest that had suddenly gone silent. "Henry doesn't care about me! He's made that perfectly clear, so now you can't use his name as a weapon to get me to comply to your wishes." Something was sparking within her. Her magic had been unstable since her defeat of Zelena, and now it was coming to life, and she couldn't control it, not when she was so angry. And in this moment, she was infuriated by the fact that Emma was **commanding** her to do anything.

"Don't turn your back on me, Regina. Why do you think I saved you?" Emma asked, getting riled up as well.

"Why do you think I care? I really don't. Now just leave me alone." Regina hissed, turning to leave. It was a waste of time as usual. Emma had only been the Dark One a day and already she was making demands as though she ran the town.

"It's because I love you, Regina." Emma appeared in front of her. "All of that stuff with Neal was mostly for Henry's benefit. I was just trying to make him happy."

Regina sighed. "Well that's all fine and dandy Miss Swan, except it's been two months since daddy dearest returned, more than enough time for you to explain your feelings. But it's okay, I am the Evil Queen after all. And who gives a damn about her?"

"I do. I am the Dark One right now because I care about you."

"That would be so romantic, except the feeling isn't mutual!" Regina screamed.

"Why are you such a bitch?! I love you! I care about you! Why can't you see that?!" Emma screamed back, walking towards the irate brunette.

"Go to hell, Miss Swan. Have fun with my son. I'll send you some adoption papers, then he can be all yours. It's what everyone wants!"

"You don't mean that."

"Oh I do! Henry doesn't care about me. Don't lie to me and say he does. Now leave me alone. Save yourself." Regina turned to leave again and Emma launched a burst of magic at her head, narrowly missing it and hitting a tree nearby. Regina scowled and turned around, unleashing all of her magic out of both of her hands. Emma fired hers as well and all of the magic met in midair.

"Emma! Regina!" The Charmings were coming, but Regina could hardly care. Her power felt different somehow, wild and unstable, but so good it was almost orgasmic. She'd been trying to keep her promise to Henry, to not use magic, and after the defeat of Zelena and her using light magic, the dark and light magic had been warring inside her body, causing her to have excruciating seizures multiple times a day. But since no one cared, she was forced to endure them alone. Now though, once the magic was being released, it was pure pleasure and exhilaration. Her and Emma's magic, even with her being the Savior and the Dark One, were evenly matched. But even she could see that they were charging a ticking bomb. She released her flow of magic and dodged Emma's. There was an explosion, then everything went silent. She looked around and her eyes fell upon Emma, convulsing on the ground as the darkness left her body in a swirling mass of blackness.

"Emma?!" Regina yelled, even though she couldn't even hear herself. Pain exploded in her stomach, attacking every nerve in her body as another seizure began. "Emma!" She fought through the pain and tried to crawl her way to the unconscious blonde. The darkness coiled into as she made her way to Emma. Emma's eyes opened half way and she reached for Regina's hand. "Don't die, Emma. Don't you dare."

"You lied." Emma said weakly with a small smirk. "You do care."

Regina scowled and slapped her. Now they both were going to die. All because the Savior wanted to be a hero. The darkness was surrounding them now and Regina could feel her consciousness ebbing as the seizure intensified in her stomach. Her muscles started to cramp and blackness curled around the edges of her vision. Then she heard the howl. A great dark shape leaped into the center of the darkness and began attacking it, but it was no use.

"Ruby?"

Ruby disappeared beneath the mass of black tendrils. Regina raised her hand, trying to summon her magic to help her, but she couldn't even find the strength. Everything went dark.

That was 2 weeks ago… And Ruby hadn't been seen since.

xxxxxxxxx

The darkness was so cool and inviting, wrapping Ruby in his clutches, enveloping her deeper into its black grip. But her wolf was not one to be controlled. She wasn't sure how long she lay in her makeshift, drifting in and out of consciousness, watching a battle rage within as her wolf beat the darkness into submission, as it gained control once again and another battle began for her to retake control of her own body. She felt like she were going crazy, like the world was spinning too fast. Everything burned like her blood had turned to fire and she couldn't hear her own screams. Then it stopped...just as suddenly as it had come, the pain was gone and the battle was over. When Ruby opened her eyes, she could feel them glowing.

The moon was high in the sky, sending down rays of pale light across the landscape. Ruby got to her feet, tripping several times as fatigue worked its wonderful magic on her. A smile found its way across her lips. She'd survived, she'd beaten the darkness! "Whoo! Yeah!" She had to find Granny. She was probably worried sick. When she shifted, everything seemed to attack her senses all at once, as though they'd become stronger. It took a while for her to sort everything out, but thankfully, she was experienced enough to do it. Walking proved a challenge to her exhausted body. Her wolf form was also nearly three times as big than it usually was and she tripped over nearly everything in her path. Despite the complications, Ruby felt stronger than she'd ever felt before, invincible and powerful. The darkness was still inside her and her wolf was not pleased at losing the battle against her, but for now, nothing could stop her. Except...that delicious smell. Her paws turned on their own accord and the next thing she knew, she was racing through the forest, bounding as though wings were attached to her feet and came upon the large deer as it was grazing. It didn't even have time to run before she latched onto its neck, but she didn't rip out its throat. She laid on the ground and let the blood pool in her mouth, tasting the salty, metallic life force of the animal drain away. But she didn't wait too long before going around and tearing open the stomach of the beast and feasting. The warm flesh filled her with energy that she desperately needed. The wolf had been fed and she felt better than ever before. She had the power of the Dark One now. Well, the Dark Wolf. Just thinking about it made a purr escape her. Now it was time go see her grandmother.

xxxxxxx

The seizure hadn't lasted long this time, thankfully. Regina curled up into a ball on her kitchen floor until the pain in her stomach subsided. It was the third one of the day, and after every time, she was left feeling drained and weak. Dark and light magic was battling it out inside her body, using her flesh and bone as a war zone and leaving her to deal with the pain and fatigue it wrought. She was exhausted beyond words from them, but thankfully they weren't too bad and didn't seem to be life threatening. She picked herself up off the floor and leaned against the counter, looking at the dinner that she'd ruined when she blacked out and knocked all of it to the floor. She magically cleaned it up and teleported to the bedroom. She climbed into bed and fell asleep immediately, aching beyond belief.

When she awoke a few hours later, Robin was lying in her bed, filling the air with the scent of Marian's perfume. It made her sick to her stomach. The Evil Queen, sleeping with a married man. He was supposed to be her Happy Ending, her soulmate, the one person that could give her the love she always wanted. But that was hardly the case. He was married, with a child. Robin came in late at night and left early in the morning to be with Marian. Regina was only given the scraps. He swore he loved her, that he wanted to be with her, but he couldn't break his vows. And Regina swallowed the lie, but she was the one who was really lying. To herself. This was not the life she wanted. Alone, even when she wasn't.

She couldn't even remember the last time she'd seen Henry. The heroes, especially daddy dearest, had made it their personal mission to make sure that she didn't get to see him. It had been almost 2 months. Oh but they always checked up on her, made sure she was still being sweet and docile. Regina actually hadn't left the house since the last time she'd seen Henry. It was if she had no identity anymore. Just a lapdog following commands and begging for meager scraps of affection. What life was she living? Why couldn't she have her happy ending?

"Regina?" Robin grumbled as she sat up in the bed. He rolled to face her and tried to pull her closer. "What's wrong?"

Regina chuckled darkly. "Everything."

"What?"

"Why are we doing this?" She asked. "Do you love me?"

"Of course!" He said, sitting up, wiping sleep from his eyes. "Of course. Why do you think differently? I'm here."

"But you won't be in a couple hours. You'll go back to your wife every time and I'll be left alone. This isn't right."

"We are soulmates, Regina. You said it yourself."

"And do you really believe that if this is how we have to live?" Regina asked. Robin had no answer, so she got off the bed and walked into the bathroom, closed the door and sat down. She felt so drained, so tired of everything. When would she be allowed to live? Why did she have to wear a mask to hide her heart? She could fool the world into believing it, but she couldn't conceal how she felt to herself. She felt a sudden pain ignite in her stomach as another seizure began. It was like fire and electricity attacking every nerve in her body. The pain was excruciating, but only lasted for a few seconds before she passed out.

When she awoke again, it was still dark out and Robin was still in bed. She took a shower to wash away her ordeal and put on a pair of old blue jeans and and a gray sweater and decided to go for a walk in the woods. The forest had always been a favorite place of hers to think. In the simple serenity of nature, she was not the Evil Queen, or the former madame mayor. She could pull off her mask and bask in the feeling of being who she was, away from hypocritical eyes that tried to darken her day and keep her spiritless. Away from the pain of watching her son live his life as though she'd never existed. As though she hadn't been the one to raise him, as though she hadn't been there for the sick days, and scary thunderstorms, and nightmares. As though she hadn't endured every tantrum and spent countless nights chasing away monsters from the closet and laying with him to make sure none came in at night while he slept. The white knight, the Savior had taken her place and she was shoved to the side as though she had left no impression whatsoever on the boy she'd cared for for a decade. The only thing that people saw when they looked at her was darkness, as though it were a second skin, as though it were draped around her shoulders like a cloak that she could not remove. She was evil, and that was all she would ever be.

The night felt like silk gliding over her skin as she walked. The moon showered her in its pale light, holding the darkness at bay. The forest was alive with nocturnal wildlife. The sounds were soothing, like soft whispers, each one telling a story. She found a small creek and sat down on a rock to listen.

"Regina?"

Regina turned her head as a figure stepped out of the dark. It was Ruby Lucas. The werewolf hadn't been seen by anyone for over 6 months, preferring to stay in her wolf form out in the forest after she was nearly staked because of King George. And she'd only been glimpsed after she rescued Emma and Regina from the darkness. She was wearing jean shorts and a black sports bra that showed off a toned stomach. Her hair was wild, but not messy. and now nearly reached her waist. But there was something different about her. Her eyes were glowing and she moved like a predator at rest. She radiated with power, a trait that Regina had always found alluring. Ruby however felt as though her wolf was sitting just beneath her skin, like the beast had completely integrated itself into her very flesh. Not to mention that feeling of darkness hanging over her. But it was only augmented because of her wolf. "It's me." Ruby sat down in front of her, smiling, revealing elongated canines. The darkness had clearly made her wolf more pronounced in her appearance and in her mannerisms. "How are you alive? The darkness-"

"Cannot tame a wolf." Ruby grinned. She looked so feral, so...sexy. "Wolves don't fear darkness. We embrace it like a cloak. It shields us from the prying eyes of our prey."

"So, you tamed the darkness? How is that possible?" Regina asked.

"I don't know. I just know that I am...in control...for the first time in my life. My wolf and i are one, and I have never felt better." She smiled again. "But, what are you doing out here? All alone? You could be snatched up by any old animal in the woods."

"Not that anyone would care or anything."

"I would." Ruby said, feigning hurt. "I would be very hurt if my queen were to suddenly disappear, stolen by another animal when all knows...she is rightfully mine."

Regina raised an eyebrow at the guttural growl coming the werewolf as she verbally claimed Regina. She hadn't even realized that Ruby had any feelings for her because she was sure they had spent no amount of time together whatsoever over the years.

"You've been gone for a while." Regina said cautiously.

"I didn't think anyone had noticed, what with all the happy endings going around." Ruby said, leaning back on her hands.

"Really? I must've missed them." Regina replied, pulling her knees up to her chin and wrapping her arms around them.

"I've heard what happened to you." Ruby tilted her head. "I would say I'm sorry, but I'm really not."

"It's not my fault Emma decided to bring Mommy back from the dead." Regina hissed angrily. "They always ruin everything. Like mother like daughter."

"True." Ruby agreed, nodding her head. "However, you have the power to change the life you live. No one can do it for you."

"Save the advice for someone who cares." Regina rolled her eyes.

"It's not really advice if you already know it. You just refuse to do it because you're still on this fantasy that your happy ending is Robin. Anyone who truly looked at you could see you are wasting away." The wolf said boldly. Regina looked up at her, but said nothing. Ruby sighed and leaned her head back, looking up at the stars peeking through the leaves and branches overhead. "Do you think it's bad to like darkness?" She asked absently. Regina again didn't respond, so she kept talking. "People think of being dark as bad, but I don't see it that way. At one point I would've, but not anymore. Darkness is...sweet, inviting, cool. It's mysterious and powerful. My wolf loves the feel of it. It's like a comforting blanket."

"Darkness is evil and corrupting." Regina murmured.

"Maybe. I have spent the last 6 months in wolf form, and never have I felt more free than running beneath the cover of darkness. You know, I never learned to embrace my wolf. I've tried to control it, fear it, tolerate it, fight it. I never tried to embrace it, to be what I truly am."

"Why are you telling me this?" Regina asked.

"Well it has been 6 months since I talked to anyone. I don't really count the 5 minute conversations with Granny." She shrugged.

Regina watched her closely as she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. There was a content feeling to her. "Are you happy out here?"

"Let's see. No monsters, no heroes, no worries, no working and no rent. Couldn't be better." She grinned, white teeth glinting in the darkness. "Of course I still have my stuff. I saved up enough money over the years so Granny keeps it covered. Figured I would have to rejoin the world sooner or later. A few waitresses quit so she needs me to come in."

"I'm sorry you have to leave your sanctuary." Regina smirked.

"I don't have to. The day may be covered, but the night belongs to me." She sighed peacefully and closed her eyes.

Regina tried copying the action to see what would happen, why she kept doing it. Nothing really changed, and she felt pretty stupid for doing it. She opened her eyes and found that Ruby was watching her.

"You want to do something fun?" She asked.

"Such as?"

"Run with me. As a wolf. You can change forms, can't you?"

Regina was silent as she considered the offer. It would certainly be better than returning to an empty house. Robin was technically there, but all he wanted was sex. The sex was good, but it held no meaning. She did love Robin, but clearly he had another definition of love. She made her decision and rose to her feet. She waved her hands and purple smoke engulfed her. There was a moment of panic as she emerged from it in the form of a large black wolf. Ruby grinned and quickly shifted forms. Regina cast a quick mental spell that would allow them to communicate.

"You are quite beautiful, your majesty." Ruby purred. "Every **inch.** "

Regina faltered for a moment when she realized the werewolf was hitting on her. Pretty hard, as a matter of fact. "I bet you would love to touch every inch of me." She taunted, strutting around the chocolate brown she-wolf.

"Touch? No. Lick? Maybe." Ruby growled.

In this form, a whole new world opened up to the queen. Everything was brighter, sharper and louder. A multitude of sounds and smells assaulting her senses. In this form, she could almost taste the lust and power swirling off of Ruby.

"May I?" Ruby asked with a wolfish grin.

"Catch me first." Regina took off into the trees, feeling nothing but elation as she was buffeted by wind and branches that clipped her ears. The earth was soft under her paws, and she hardly made a sound. Ruby caught up to her and ran at her side, letting their pelts brush. "This is amazing, Ruby!"

"I'll show you something amazing. Follow me...and try to keep up your majesty." She wagged her tail and put on a sudden burst of speed. Regina was already getting tired, however she was determined not to be left behind. She forced her legs faster and harder. Ruby lead her deep into the forest, into the more uncharted wilderness that she'd added around the perimeter of Storybrooke. She hadn't realized just how much of it there was. They ran full speed for at least 10 minutes before Regina could feel the ground sloping upwards. They were climbing a mountain. She pushed on to keep up with the more seasoned wolf ahead of her. Ruby didn't even look tired, and didn't slow her pace for Regina. For some reason that made her feel good. Ruby didn't see her as weak and didn't treat her as such. They broke through a line of trees and came upon a group of mangrove trees sitting on top of crystal blue water. The water covering the forest floor barely came up to their chests and Ruby splashed around as much as possible before continuing on their way. The mangroves ended abruptly, the water broken by a belt of white sand. On the other side was a set of three waterfalls that cascaded down into a large gorgeous secluded lagoon. The entire landscape was cloaked in moonlight that shone upon them from above.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Ruby asked.

"It's amazing." Regina laughed. "Come on." She dove head first into the water and looked up at Ruby with her tail wagging in the air. "Come on!" Ruby howled and plowed into the water with a huge splash. They chased each other and played happily until the first light of dawn were streaking across the sky. Regina collapsed down on the sand belt. Ruby sat down softly next to her.

"I should get you home for your outlaw's goodbye." She teased, laying across Regina's back. She wagged her tail playfully and licked her ears.

"I...don't really want to go home." Regina said softly. The very thought of returning to the dark empty house made her stomach turn.

"Well, you could come home with me. I don't go into work today. We could get some food, watch a movie, take a nap." Ruby said. "That is, if you want to."

Regina shrugged her off and stood up. A familiar pain suddenly lanced through her stomach and she was forced back into her human form.

"Regina!"

Xxxxxx

When Regina opened her eyes, she was in a hospital bed looking up at a ceiling that was blaring a white light into her face. Every muscle in her body ached like hell.

"How are you feeling, your majesty? Did I work you too hard on the first night?"

She looked up and smiled as Ruby came into view. "Did I have another seizure?"

"Another one?!" Emma suddenly said **loudly** , as she came into the room. "This is the second time this has happened?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "I've been having them ever since we defeated Zelena. It's the dark and light magic inside of me."

"You should've told me." The blonde snapped.

"As if you care." Regina scoffed. She looked at Ruby and smiled. "You brought me here?"

"Of course. Carried you all the way here. I think I deserve some sort of reward for that." She grinned cheekily.

"I agree." Regina's voice deepened when she said the words and Ruby's eyes glowed in response.

"We can talk about my price later. First, you should rest."

"I'll rest when I get home." Regina said, sitting up.

"What are you doing? You're going to hurt yourself." Emma said.

"So what? Pain is nothing new to me, Miss Swan." She said, panting slightly just at the effort having to be exerted to get into a sitting position.

"Have you been using magic?" Emma asked, coming to her side to help, but Regina pushed her away. Ruby made no move to take her place, instead choosing to watch carefully as Regina stood up on her own and leaned against the bed for support.

"Is that why you're here?" Regina hissed. "Doing the bidding of your parents and the idiots of this town? In case you haven't noticed, my magic is exactly what's killing me."

"That's not what I meant, Regina-"

"No, it is. All you heroes want is to make sure I stay on my leash. Be a **good** girl." She was sick of this. The heroes didn't even care that she'd practically lived in near complete isolation for the past few months, unable to even see her son because of them. She was in hell, caused by her own doing. She'd just accepted that this was how her life was going to be...but no more. Queens didn't roll over for anyone. **Regina** didn't roll over for anyone. A happy ending would have to be made, not given.

"Ruby, rain check on the dinner? And do you mind if I go back to the falls?"

"Of course not. You are free to use them as you wish." Ruby grinned "Did you enjoy spending the night with me?"

"Immensely. We should do it again soon. Minus the seizure."

The werewolf smiled. "As you wish, **your majesty**." She practically purred the words before she turned to leave, casting a smirk over her shoulder.

"What was that about?" Emma asked.

Regina didn't bother to reply as she teleported herself back to the falls and looked around at the serene landscape once more. She was very tired, but she had to do this. She raised her hands and allowed pent up magic to fly free. The release was so wonderful it was almost orgasmic. It was sheer bliss. She conjured fireballs and spirit animals and teleported repeatedly, doing what she loved, rejoicing in her own freedom.

Xxxxxx

Ruby smiled as Storybrooke shook under the weight of Regina's magic. A massive storm was brewing in the distance. The embers had been stoked and a fire was reignited. The queen was back.

The night caressed her fur like a lover, gave wind to her silent paws as Ruby prowled through Storybrooke in wolf form, keeping to the shadows. There really was no need other than boredom. There was no creature that could harm her, no magic that could cause damage. She was untouchable, undefeatable. A power like no other now flowed through her veins and she felt like she'd undergone a transformation. More beast than human. Not that she minded. It gave her a freedom and confidence that she'd never felt before. It was a good feeling. But as of meeting Regina out in the forest, everything changed. She'd always been attracted to Regina, more as the Evil Queen because she was the queen, she had power, she was gorgeous and she lived her life according to her own rules. She was dominant, seductive, fierce, everything that drove Ruby and her wolf crazy. As the Mayor, Regina still had the power but acted more like she had a stick up her ass than anything. And now she'd reached an all time low right before Ruby's very eyes, trying to constantly please the people that didn't even care about her. Even her son. It was a tragic fall from grace for the queen, but Ruby knew deep down that Regina was a free spirit, a force to be reckoned with, a woman who just wanted to be loved. And thinking about her queen is what made her cross the street and head over to the queen's house. The storm and shaking had stopped, so she figured Regina was on her way home, and she would be waiting.

The wolf quickly made a detour to Granny's and picked up some treats for her queen and she even stole a rose from the florist to place on top of the basket of goodies before heading to the mansion. Regina had created a barrier garden around her entire backyard and moved her tree it would seem. Ruby was surprised to find the queen sitting under it. She was wearing black jeans and a gray sweater that hung off one shoulder and her face was completely devoid of any makeup. Large fiery balls of colorful fire swirled around the yard with a thin tail of color following them. Regina was smiling, gently directing the fiery essence with motions of her fingers. With the moon shining upon her, kissing everything it touched, Ruby could only stare at the look of sheer happiness on Regina's face. It looked almost strange on her, but still so beautiful.

The wolf let out a small bark as she approached with the basket, making sure to lower herself to the ground and to come directly in front of Regina or else she might scare her and end up getting fried.

"Ruby?" Regina smiled as she crawled forward. "What are you doing here?"

Ruby placed the basket in front of her and quickly moved backwards and laid down, placing her paws over her eyes. She heard Regina chuckle and the basket being lifted. "Ruby, you didn't need to bring me this. However, the rose was a nice touch." She moved her paws to let out a wolfish grin as Regina sniffed the rose before turning back to the other goodies. Ruby had really just grabbed some of everything: cookies, cakes, wrapped sandwiches, some fruit and even a small box of doughnuts. Regina bit into a cookie and smiled.

"Guess you haven't had one of those in a long time." Ruby said, settling down next to her. It was a bit difficult to talk in wolf form, but she used a bit of magic to enhance her speech to make sure the queen could understand.

Regina nodded. "I haven't. I don't usually eat sweets. Can you eat this in this form?"

Ruby nodded this time and promptly swiped the rest of Regina's cookie out of her hand with her long tongue. "See?"

"Then let's share." And they did. Regina seemed fascinated watching her eat in this form. She could eat a lot of things easily, but the apple that Regina tossed to her was bit difficult and she didn't finish it. Regina even tossed cupcakes into the air and she leaped up to catch them. Each time, Regina would smile that beautiful smile of hers and Ruby would just melt back to her belly because the sight of that smile made her feel weak. They finished most of the treats and Regina moved the basket aside before leaning against her tree with a sigh of contentment. Ruby moved forward and laid her head on her lap, purring when the queen started scratching her behind the ears.

"Ruby, what's it like being a full werewolf?"

"Fun, I suppose. Free to do whatever you want. Nothing can stop you."

"You don't sound very happy." Regina commented.

"Well i'm a lone wolf. Things are different for me." Ruby replied. "I don't have a pack. There's nothing like having your brothers and sisters running at your side. Being the only wolf in Storybrooke, I Run alone, hunt alone and sleep alone. It's a lonely life. Wolves aren't meant to be that way."

"I can certainly understand being lonely."

Ruby humphed and nuzzled Regina's stomach. "You are a wolf at heart, and wolves don't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep. Your constant attempts at approval and acceptance by the people of this town infuriates me. You don't need it. Stop trying."

"I know." came the sad reply. "I only did it for Henry, but he obviously doesn't care about me enough to appreciate it. I don't know what to do."

"You don't have to do anything." Ruby growled, raising her head. "You gave up magic for him, you went through a portal to Neverland to save him, you nearly sacrificed yourself to save him with the failsafe...what more could he possibly want that will prove you love him. You really shouldn't have to do anything to begin with for the little ass. He's arrogant and self centered and annoying since he's found out he's royalty. Snow and Neal enabling him isn't helping at all." She stood up and growled. Regina was obviously surprised by her passionate defense, but she said nothing as Ruby continued. "I could never get away with half the shit he does and says to you. Granny would probably shoot my leg off." Regina smirked at that. "Why are you still trying, Regina?"

"Because he's all that I have." Regina answered without hesitation.

"He's not." Ruby said with conviction. She turned her back before taking in Regina's expression. Her attention was momentarily caught by the little flying balls of fire and stepped forward to touch one. It split apart and reformed behind her. She wagged her tail and went around the yard, leaping and chasing them. A minute later Regina shifted and joined her in the game. She liked being with Regina. It was almost like something compelled her to always go to the queen. They were so comfortable together, and she was surprised at the change in Regina as she chased the balls of fire, letting out a barking laugh as she did so. It was a pleasant sound to Ruby's ears. Here in Regina's garden, surrounded by a scent that was uniquely hers, Ruby couldn't be happier.

After they tired, they both collapsed on their backs in the grass, looking up at the stars and changed back to human form.

"I want to be free, Ruby." Said Regina softly. "I don't want to follow the heroes rules. I want to be me. But I want to be loved too. I can't have both apparently."

"You are free when you choose to be. They're gonna keep restricting you out of fear, and you're gonna let them because you want to be accepted. But they're gonna keep pushing and pushing no matter what you do. And when they push you over that edge, they think you'll hit rock bottom. But that's not what's going to happen." Ruby smiled. "You're not going to fall, you're going to fly. You're going to get pissed and you're going to fight back. Then they'll call you evil, act like they didn't do anything. And everything you do to them, they'd rightfully deserve. You aren't evil, Regina, you're sick and tired of being someone else's bitch."

Read and review! A/N: I'm debating about making this purely RedQueen or adding in some RedBeauty and some WickedWolf so Ruby can sorta have her own little pack. If I make another few chapters, they'll probably be about how Ruby impacts Belle and Zelena while under the effects of the darkness and go into a little more detail on how she 'tamed' it and how she deals with it. If I decide to go that way. But please review and let me know what you think. For those waiting for updates for my other stories, they're coming. Don't worry. By the way, this will NOT be a SwanQueen story. Emma might try to win Regina over, but Regina's not interested. Not really an Outlaw one either. So yeah, please review and I love suggestions.


	2. Chapter 2

When Ruby awoke, the sun was already high in the sky, not far from setting actually. A purr rumbled in her chest feeling Regina curled up against her, almost buried in her fur. She nuzzled the sleeping woman onto her back and stiffly carried her back into the house and laid her on the couch.

"Ruby?" The queen mumbled sleepily, gripping her fur tightly. "Please, don't go yet." Regina sounded so broken, so helpless. Ruby growled and yanked herself free. Regina opened her eyes wider to look at her. "Ruby?"

"Regina, your life is your own, and when you're ready to take it back, come find me." Ruby shifted back to say. Her eyes no longer glowed as they did at night. During the day, the effects of the darkness were diminished.

"But Ruby-"

"I'm not going to coddle or pity you Regina." Regina sat up and Ruby leaned forward to kiss her forehead. "I can't explain the way I feel about you, but I know this isn't you. I want you, the real you. The bold, badass, unapologetic woman that I've dreamed of since I can remember."

"I don't know how." Regina whispered.

"You do. You're just afraid. But you don't have do anything alone. I'm with you, but I want you to be strong. I want you to know who you are again." Ruby said, tilting Regina's head by her chin to kiss her lips. It was a gentle, tender kiss. One to comfort the fallen queen. Regina sighed against her lips and tried to pull her closer, but she stepped back. Ruby gave her a pointed look before turning to leave.

"I don't want to be alone." Regina said softly. Ruby could hear the heartache in her voice, pleading for the wolf to stay. But she was not deterred.

"You will be alone until you decide you don't want to be." Ruby replied, leaving the room. She exited the house and Regina flinched at the sound of the door slamming. She fought the urge to cry and took a few deep breaths to fight it. Ruby's departure was a stark contrast with last night, when she'd defended all Regina had done. Now though, she felt like she'd been kicked to the side again. She walked upstairs and sighed at seeing Robin was gone. Of course, he needed to get back to his wife. The hot water of the shower was scalding, almost burning her skin. She felt so stupid for trusting Ruby. It made her angry that the wolf had managed to get her to let her guard down only to hurt her once again. With a flick of her wrist, the water turned icy cold, and the shock to her senses was just what she needed as she realized Ruby's endgame. A wolf didn't want a weak mate. Ruby didn't want a weak friend. And Regina was weak. She needed to prove to herself and to Ruby that she could be strong again.

Xxxxxxx

Emma sighed, walking behind her family as they made their way to Granny's. Her thoughts were only on Regina. The woman she loved. Ever since she'd been cured of the darkness, she hadn't seen the woman at all. Except finding her in the hospital with Ruby. That had been a shock, a very infuriating shock that sent a surge of rage through her at the thought of anyone else being with Regina. She'd sacrificed herself for Regina to save her life. What had Ruby ever done?!

"Emma, you okay?" David asked, looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah." She said simply, looking ahead to where Neal walked with his arm around her son, both of them excitedly talking away. She knew that the man had been intentionally trying to separate Henry from Regina and no matter what she'd done to correct that behavior, Henry always chose to listen to his father. She hated how he was growing up, seeing the world through the eyes of an entitled prince. Seeing only good and evil and nothing in between. She wasn't that way and she didn't want that for her son. But for now, she was just happy that he was happy.

They walked into the diner, finding it almost entirely empty, which was strange and sat down at their usual table. Ruby came to take their order as she usually did and Emma felt that spark of jealousy and rage once again. Ruby looked at her with a knowing smirk as she moved gracefully about the table and walked into the back to place their orders.

"Hey kid, why don't we go see your mom after dinner?" She asked, turning to Henry.

"He's gonna teach me how to play some video games when we get back." Neal interrupted. "Isn't that right, kid?" He asked.

"Yeah dad."

Emma rolled her eyes.

"What?" Neal asked.

"He should go see his mother."

"He's looking at her." Neal countered. "Look, I appreciate everything Regina's done for the kid, but he's my son."

Emma didn't even hesitate to punch the man in the face, nearly making him slam his head on the table.

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed.

"He's **my** son. You left me to go to prison, remember? Any parental rights you may've had were forfeited on that day. Don't forget that you had a chance to be a father, but you blew it." Emma hissed.

"Mom." Henry said sternly, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down, it's okay. If you really want to, we can go see Regina."

Emma took a deep breath. "Don't call her that. She's your mother."

"Fine. Mom then." He rolled his eyes and turned to his food as Ruby returned to place it on the table.

"Will that be all?" The werewolf asked, still wearing that annoying little smirk that the blonde just wanted to smack off her face.

"No." She said curtly.

"Alright, just let me know if you-" The door of the diner nearly flew off its hinges by some force from outside. Regina made her entrance as only she could. Her hair was nearly twice its usual length, just as it had been in the Enchanted Forest, cascading down her backside like a rippling black waterfall. She wore a fitted red shirt with quarter length sleeves that revealed mounds of mouthwatering cleavage. She wore gray tights that hugged every inch of her curves and ass and tall boots that nearly reached her thighs. There was a strange dark light glowing along her skin and looked almost like tiny sparks of electricity flickering on her exposed arms every now and then.

"What do we have here?" Ruby grinned.

Regina turned her head and walked quickly up to her, her hand glowing with a spinning mix of black and white light, and punched the werewolf so hard, it sent her flying backwards onto the heroes table. Regina grinned.

"Regina, you're not supposed to be using magic." David said sharply, standing up.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't stop? Are **you** going to stop **me**?" Regina asked, flashing an evil smirk. "I beg of you to try."

David pulled out the black cuff that they all remembered so well. Regina rolled her eyes. It wasn't like he could actually get it on her anyway.

Ruby got back to her feet, waving her hand and cleaning herself up. She snatched the cuff from David and burned it to ash in her hand with fire and blew the ashes in his face. Then she turned to Regina and slowly walked around her. "So cute, Regina. But do you really think-" Regina spun, landing another punch to her face that made her eyes glow. She tackled Regina to the ground, sending them both rolling across the floor like crazed animals. Emma looked up in disbelief at Granny chuckling her head off.

"Mom stop it!" Henry yelled. Regina stopped and backed away from Ruby and turned to face her son. "You can't use magic." He snapped angrily. "Dark magic is evil. It's bad." Regina tilted her head and smiled before suddenly sending David and Neal flying across the room with magic.

Henry was enraged at this point and Emma stood up. "Everybody just calm down for a second. Regina, just relax, please." Truth be told, she was so turned on by Regina by now, it almost hurt. "What the hell is going on?"

"The little wolf sharpened her teeth." Ruby growled, grabbing Regina from behind and pulling her close. "And she's found out how to bite."

Regina smiled and pulled herself free. "I haven't had a seizure since I went running with you."

"Then we must do it again, yes?" Ruby grinned.

"We must." Regina nodded.

Ruby shifted and waited for Regina to follow suit. The former queen did not hesitate at all. She wagged her tail as she followed her to the door and both realized that they couldn't open it without opposable thumbs. Regina quickly found a solution by leaping straight through it and both disappeared into the gathering night with Ruby calling over her shoulder. "We'll fix the diner in the morning, Granny!"

Granny was still laughing. "Do you folks want your food to go?"

"What the hell was that?" Emma asked, walking over to the counter. "What's going on with Ruby and Regina?"

Granny shrugged. "I haven't the slightest idea. But it's funny as hell. That old queen's got some fire to her." She walked into the back. "I'll get you your food."

Emma was still shocked over what she'd just seen. She didn't quite understand it.

"What's gotten into Regina?" Snow asked, helping David to his feet. Henry was helping Neal.

"I don't know. But we don't have the cuff and she's obviously dangerous." Her husband said.

"Maybe I can talk to her." Emma intervened. "I can try to convince her to stop." She quickly left the diner before they could argue, but Regina wasn't home. The doors were locked and there was no telling when the woman would be back. "Son of a bitch, Regina." She hissed, leaning against the front door, remembering how good the woman had looked in her outfit, so different than what she usually wore. To say she was jealous of Ruby was an understatement. They clearly had some kind of connection that she hated already. She tried calling the brunette but it turned out her phone was off or something. "Great."

xxxxxxxx

Regina purred as Ruby nuzzled her neck as they walked back towards the mansion after a good hour of running. She didn't know why they were turning back so early, but she didn't mind following Ruby's lead.

"You surprised the hell out of me when you walked through that door." Ruby said.

"That's what I was aiming for." Regina let out a barking laugh and circled around the older she-wolf with a wagging tail. She was full of energy and happiness. "Ruby, will you kiss me again?"

"No." Ruby said curtly, waving her tail in the air as they crossed the street. She effortlessly leaped over the garden wall that Regina had made. She paused to wait as Regina soared over it, too high and lost her balance mid air and landed heavily on her side. "You have strong legs. You'll need to remember that when you jump."

"Thanks. And why not?" Regina asked, picking herself up with a soft grunt.

"Because you have to catch me to do it." Ruby flashed a wolfy grin before sailing through her kitchen window.

"Seriously?" Regina whined. She climbed into the window. Not quite as gracefully as her companion, but hey, she made it in. Ruby was nowhere to be seen. Of course. "Ruby." Regina whimpered. "Why do you have to be so difficult?" The house was pitch black, but Regina didn't need to see to navigate through the levels without bumping things. She made her way silently upstairs and shifted back as she opened her bedroom door, surprised to find candles lit everywhere and flower petals thrown across the what looked like, new bed. Ruby grinned as she leaped out of the closet.

"Surprise."

"You did all this?" Regina asked.

"Yep. If I'm moving too fast, please let me know. If this isn't what you want, Regina, then tell me. Because I do want you. I want you more than anything. Either way, Regina, you are one hell of a woman, and if you weren't so consumed with vengeance and Snow, then you would've made one hell of a ruler. You have repaid all your debts to this town, you saved them more times than I can count. I know you've built up a lot of insecurities because of everyone's manipulations of you, but I'm not going to be like that. All I want for you is to be the woman you want to be, the one you deserve to be. i just want you to be you." Ruby looked around the room. "By the way, your bed **stank** of Robin Hood, so I threw it out. Bought you a brand new one. Well, made you one with magic."

Regina looked at the younger brunette with a smile. "Miss Lucas, you are truly something else."

Ruby bowed. "Why thank you, your majesty."

"And this isn't too fast at all. In fact, it's just what I needed. Thanks for the wake up call." She grinned evilly and with a flick of her wrist made Ruby's clothes disappear. "But I need a little more-" Ruby suddenly tackled her onto the bed, sending flower petals into the air around them. The wolf wasted no time in marking her neck, completely claiming Regina as her own.

"You're mine now, your majesty." Ruby grinned, eyes gazing over Regina's body. "All mine." Her face took on a serious expression. "Robin can never have you again. That bastard."

"As you wish." Regina purred. She couldn't fight back the moan that escaped her lips as Ruby kissed her, with all the power and passion of a wolf. Their tongues caressed each other in a wild dance for dominance. Regina pushed Ruby away to fully take in the sight of her new lover. The werewolf was stunning. Absolutely beautiful.

"I hope you don't have plans for tomorrow." Regina said.

"Why?"

Regina grinned evilly and rolled them over so she was on top. "Let's find out."

/

Regina awoke in her werewolf's arms. She managed to slip free and stood up to stretch, her body sore from last night's amorous activities. She took a quick shower and put on some black lingerie, not really feeling the desire to put on anything else. Ruby smiled at her as she stepped out of the bathroom. "Good morning."

"Good morning." The wolf stretched on the bed, showing an almost feline grace. "Have you been up long?"

"No." Regina came forward and sat cross legged on the bed, facing the wolf. "Why do you want to do this? Be with me?"

"Because you are one of the most amazing women I've ever met in my entire life. And apparently you couldn't see how amazing you were. So I had to show you."

Regina entered her werewolf's arms. Ruby pulled her close and Regina buried her face in her neck. They stayed like that for a while, simply content to hold the other in their embrace. It must've been an hour later before they decided to get up and fix themselves something to eat. Although it was late in the afternoon by this point, she made them breakfast. Blueberry waffles, bacon, sausage and eggs.

"Is that enough?" Regina asked, watching Ruby inhale her plate of food.

"What? Oh yeah. Yeah, this is freakin' amazing by the way." Ruby grinned, turning back to her food.

Regina smiled and started on her own. Once they were finished, they shared the task of cleaning up, but the doorbell rang and Ruby quickly excused herself to go answer it.

"Can I help you, Miss Swan?" Ruby asked, opening the door.

"What are you doing here? In Regina's robe?" The blonde demanded, looking her up and down.

Ruby recognized the powerful envy in her eyes. She was in love with Regina. But Regina was hers now. No one was going to take the queen from her. She stood up a little straighter and smiled. "I'm home, what are you talking about? As for the robe, well, Regina said I could wear it. Problem?"

"Where's Regina?"

"Minding her own damn business." Came the silky smooth answer from the highly amused wolf. "What do you want?"

"I was worried about her-"

"You came to make sure she's still following the twisted rules of your insufferable parents. No need to lie, Miss Swan. Heroes are supposed to be honest and good." Ruby interrupted in a condescending tone. "Regina can and will do whatever she damn well pleases and she needs no permission from the Charmings or has to explain her actions. As for you, you should know right now, that Regina is mine. You can love and hope all you want, but she is mine. If you ever try to take her from me, if you ever touch her or kiss her or any of that nonsense to see if she's your true love...I'll kill you."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Emma demanded.

"I am the alpha of this house, and the bitch that will kick your ass if you come anywhere near my woman again." Ruby grinned. It felt good to stake her claim on Regina. It was true their relationship had progressed very quickly, but she held no regrets, and knew Regina was going to be her perfect mate.

"Miss Lucas." Regina's deep, sultry voice interrupted their conversation and Ruby turned to face her. Emma peered over her shoulder and Regina walked past, wearing only black lingerie and carrying a glass of wine. She walked slowly, lazily...sexily, in a pair of stunning black heels.

"Yeah?" Ruby whispered.

"You coming?" Regina asked, making her way upstairs, not modest in the least.

"Hell yeah." Ruby slammed the door without a second thought and followed the queen upstairs. "What is this?" She asked, crawling across the bed to collapse next to her. "You know Emma saw you."

"I do. I wanted to show her what she could never have." Regina smirked, offering her the glass.

Ruby took it and poured a little on Regina's leg and slowly licked it off. "Delicious."

/

/

/

Belle hummed lightly to herself as she stacked the books on her cart and went about sorting them and placing them on the shelves. It was a quiet night, as it always was, and she was the only one in her beloved library. That is, until the door chimed and a familiar face walked in. "What do you want Rumple?" She asked over her shoulder, hearing his cane hit the ground as he limped into the building.

"Hello Belle." He said. "It's very late for you to still be here alone." There was a dark glint to his words and she turned around. He was no longer the Dark One, but he still possessed magic, although nowhere near as strong as it once was. She turned to face him.

"What do you want?"

"I was just wondering if you would join me for a late dinner."

"No." She said curtly, turning back to her books, still upset with her ex-husband over the way he cheated her with his fake dagger. The pain of that betrayal still burned as if it were new and she could hardly look at the man without remembering it.

Rumple limped forward to take her hand, stopping her from putting a book back on its shelf. "Please, Belle."

"No, Rumple. I don't want anything to do with you anymore. You've hurt me enough."

"But Belle-"

"She said no, Gold." The shadows parted as Ruby walked in from the back. She stepped forward, her every step punctuated with an arrogant swagger that hadn't been there before. She came out of nowhere, eyes glowing and teeth bared threateningly. Rumple took a step back and scowled, opening his mouth as though to speak, but Ruby raised her hand. "You don't want this fight, **former** Dark One. You really don't." The man was obviously not pleased, but he eventually retreated. Ruby immediately swept Belle up in her arms and twirled her around. "How you doing, Bookworm?"

Belle laughed as she was placed back on solid ground. "I'm fine. What are you doing here?" She took a moment to fully take in the werewolf, who only wore tight blue jeans and a black tank top. There was something different about her…Something primal, almost animalistic in her movements.

"I came to see you." Ruby flopped down in a chair and picked up a book, flipping through the pages but looking at none of them. She looked back up at Belle. "You look pretty today."

"Thank you, but it's hardly daytime." Belle smiled, sitting on the little coffee table in front of her friend. "It's not wolf's time, is everything alright, Ruby?"

"Everything couldn't be better." Ruby sat up quickly to face her. "Have you ever done something crazy?"

"Such as?"

"I just came from Regina's house and she's starting to use her magic again."

"Okay...is that supposed to be-"

Ruby stopped her by putting a finger over her lips and leaned in really close. "We ran through the forest...as wolves. Isn't that amazing?"

"Yes, it is." Belle laughed at the other woman's excitement as she hopped up and walked around behind the chair, leaning on it.

"You should come with us sometime. She could change you too!"

"Oh no, I don't think that's for me. I'm not a wolf."

"You definitely are." Ruby rolled her eyes. "How about tomorrow? Please?" She whimpered and started nuzzling Belle's neck. "Please? Please? Please? I'm not going to stop until you say yes."

"Alright." Belle laughed. "But only once." Ruby let out a whoop of victory and sat back down. "What happened to you, Ruby? You were gone for so long, and you're so different." Ruby tilted her head and picked at her perfectly manicured nails.

"Have the Charmings figured out who saved Emma and Regina from the darkness when it left Emma?" She asked nonchalantly.

"No, they assumed Emma defeated it."

Ruby scoffed. "Hardly. **I** saved them. And now, I am the-"

"Dark One?!" Belle stood up, shock evident in her voice.

"I prefer Dark Wolf." Ruby replied.

"Ruby, how-" She paced around the table. "How is this possible? Are you alright? We have to get it out of you!" Ruby stopped her frantic pacing by standing in front of her.

"Belle, relax. I'm fine. I've never felt better in my life. The darkness can't control me like it can other people because I'm already tied to my wolf. I'm not weak like the other humans."

"And you're part wolf. If you lose control, we're all screwed." Belle interrupted, surprise evident in her eyes. She turned her back to Ruby and paced the other way, already formulating ways to get the darkness out of her friend. Ruby grabbed her by the waist and turned her to face her.

"Belle, chill. Kay?" She grinned. "I can't wait for tomorrow night. Meet us at Regina's place."

"Ruby, this doesn't bother you?" Belle asked in disbelief.

"I'm me. Nothing has changed. That's partially why I was gone so long. It's like my wolf and the darkness was fighting. And my wolf won, but then I had to fight it and now I can hardly feel either one. I feel great." Ruby assured her with a smile.

Belle was not quite convinced of this, but she smiled back in return. Ruby was her best friend after all. She trusted the wolf with **her** life, she was sure the wolf would take care of her own. "Alright, if you say so."

"I do. Now I have to go, I'm really tired. But see you tomorrow, okay?" Ruby looked at her hopefully.

"Alright, I'll see you. Be careful, Ruby. Please."

Ruby bowed deeply. "As you command." The werewolf headed out the door and Belle closed down the library, contemplating what was in store for her tomorrow night.

/

/

/

The mansion was dark when Belle approached it the next night. She looked around for any signs of life, but couldn't find anything. "Ruby?" The door flew open immediately and Ruby picked her up in a big hug.

"You made it. Regina's itching to go. Come on in." Ruby lead her through the dark house and into the back yard where a giant black wolf was sitting beneath Regina's tree. "Beautiful, isn't she?"

"That's Regina?"

"Yep. Come on Gina, change her so we can get going." Ruby said, bouncing excitedly up and down.

Regina let out a small humph and made a gesture with a paw. Belle was engulfed in reddish purple smoke and the next thing she knew her senses were being assaulted by a multitude of sounds and smells. She whimpered and started backing up.

"It's alright, Belle." Ruby's voice soothed her. "Just take deep breaths and calm down."

Slowly, everything quieted down and Belle could no longer smell the nasty scents of dumpsters and trash cans, only the sweetness of Regina's apples in her tree.

"Okay open your eyes."

Belle obeyed and let out a gasp as she took in the world through new eyes. Everything was so sharp and clear. It was all strangely wonderful, almost like something she'd read in one of her books. "This is amazing."

Ruby was sitting in front of her in the form of a great wolf with fur like dark chocolate. She held a mirror in her jaws, lowering it so Belle could see herself and her cream colored fur.

"Beautiful." Regina said, flashing a wolfy grin.

"This is so strange." Belle said, looking around.

Ruby nuzzled her into a standing position and instructed her on how to move just as she'd done Regina. The queen waited patiently for Belle to get it down, and soon, they were racing through the forest as a pack. Belle was surprised at how exhilarating it was to run in this form, tasting a freedom that she never had before. Once, she'd dreamed of being a hero, stepping out from behind her books. This was nothing like she'd imagined. Ruby and Regina lead her up into the mountains, through a mangrove swamp and to a secluded lagoon. Regina didn't even stop as she leaped and belly flopped into the water, showing a side of the normally regal and composed queen that Belle had never seen. Ruby did a flip as she landed in the water after the black she-wolf and Belle let out a happy bark as she jumped in after them. They splashed around the water like children and chased after the fish in the lagoon. They climbed onto the belt of sand and Regina and Belle jumped on top of Ruby.

"Hey, no double teaming the alpha." Ruby woofed, pushing them off and flicking them with water.

"Is this what you do every night?" Belle asked, sitting down to catch her breath.

"Just about." Regina answered. "Isn't it wonderful to be so free?" The black she-wolf looked around at their little haven. "It's beautiful."

"Our own little spot in the world." Ruby agreed, nuzzling them on the neck.

"You did this because you wanted a pack, didn't you?" Belle asked, looking at her old friend.

Ruby nodded. "It's never fun being alone."

Regina whimpered and started furiously licking her ears, making her laugh. Belle quickly leaped up to assist.

"Okay, okay, you've proven your point." Ruby pinned them down and started licking them all over their face. "How do you like that? Huh?"

Belle laughed, almost wheezing by the time Ruby released them. Regina hopped right back up to run around. "You sure have a lot of energy."

"Regina suffers from seizures when she doesn't expend excess energy, magical and regular. She stays active in wolf form to take care of both problems."

"Seizures?"

"Yeah. It came from her trying to please the heroes and not use her magic. But now, to hell with the heroes, to hell with rules, to hell with everyone else!" Ruby yelled. She threw back her head and howled. Regina joined her and Belle wagged her tail as she did so as well. It was so strange for the woman to feel such a freedom, away from her broken relationship with Rumple, the pity filled eyes of the townspeople and away from the secluded world of the library that had once brought her so much joy and peace. Now, it just seemed like a painful reminder of the pawn shop down the street and what used to be.

"So, are you guys coming out again tomorrow night?" Belle asked, trotting to keep up with the longer legged wolves ahead as they walked back to the mansion in the early morning light. Regina gave her a gentle nip on the ear.

"Perhaps." Ruby answered. "I have to work tomorrow. If you guys come in, I can get you a discount by the way." She grinned.

"Maybe we'll stop by."

"Regina, what happened to you and Robin?" Belle asked offhandedly.

Regina froze. "Oh shit. I completely forgot about him."

"Don't worry, I locked the door before we left."

"He's a thief, he can pick a lock." Regina said, hurrying her pace.

"If he's in my bed, I'll kill him!" Ruby growled, shooting ahead.

Belle hurried after them and reached the driveway as Regina turned them back into humans to race into the house. Belle quickly followed them upstairs and into the master bedroom that had to be bigger than her entire apartment and found a very naked Robin beneath the sheets of the new bed.

Regina sighed, walked around the room, gathering Robin's clothes and tossed them at him. "Put on your clothes, Robin, and get out. Don't come back."

"What's going on?" Robin asked. "Why? Have I done something wrong?"

"No, i did. You're married." Regina said. "Now get out." She glanced at Ruby. To her surprise, the she-wolf had said nothing. Her eyes were glowing and she was staring at the bed. "You okay?"

"No, that was **my** bed." Ruby said. "Now, we'll have to burn it."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Move, Robin." The confused man put on his pants, but nothing else.

"Regina, we talked about this. We're soulmates. I love you." He said, taking her face in his hands and kissing her lips. "Whatever has you upset, we can work through this."

"Goodbye Robin." Regina said, letting her own eyes glow. "I made the mistake of continuing to sleep with you after I found out you were married, and I will pay that price. But this isn't happening again. I want you and all your stuff out of my house. You have 10 minutes." It only took 5 for the man to gather his things, still confused by the sudden rejection and leave.

"You okay?" Ruby asked with a look of concern.

"Oh yeah. I'm fine." Regina sighed.

"Good." Ruby smiled, before turning to the bed and lifting it up. "I like the smell of the forest, but he smells like shit!" She effortlessly carried the bed downstairs and outside, leaning against the front door, before going back upstairs and grabbing anything else Robin may have touched. Regina and Ruby watched her carry everything out to the curb, to the trash and stuff it inside, going so far as to stand in the trash can and jump on it to stuff it down further.

"Hey Ruby, Belle." Henry said as he and Emma walked up. He didn't even acknowledge Regina standing a few feet away. "What are you doing?"

"Throwing out trash that stinks. How are you?" Ruby said. Each word was followed by her jumping, to push the bed down further.

"What happened? It looks brand new."

"It is, but I would prefer not to touch it, much less sleep on it." Ruby said, climbing down. "You heading to school?"

"Yep."

She looked at Regina and Belle. "We've been up for that long?"

"Obviously dear." Regina smirked.

"I'm late for work then. Damn it." She kissed Regina on the cheek and gave Belle a crushing bear hug before racing off down the street to Granny's.

Regina looked at Belle. "Care for some breakfast, Miss French?"

Belle smiled. "That would be lovely."

"Wait, Regina." Emma called, but the queen ignored her.

Belle followed Regina back into the house and the older woman set to work cooking. "Are you okay, Regina? I mean, with the whole Henry thing?" Despite everyone else's fear of Regina's power, she knew Regina wasn't really an evil woman, just fiery and lonely. Having Henry had changed her, made her happier and brighter. She wondered how the woman was coping with the loss. Henry had all but moved out, barely acknowledged Regina's presence anymore, and carried himself like a prince. She knew it was probably hard on the former mayor.

"It's fine." Regina said. "I'm not upset about it anymore. I'm actually considering giving him back to Emma, legally. Maybe even moving."

"Really? Moving where?"

"I don't know yet." Regina shrugged. "I think I just need a change of scenery."

"Well, I'm sure everything will work out just fine." She smiled.

Regina smiled as well. "Thanks Belle. I don't think I ever apologized for locking you in the hospital ward."

"It's alright. Besides, I might get you back for it." She grinned mischievously and Regina narrowed her eyes at her.

"Game on then, Bookworm."

/

/

/

The diner was swamped but Ruby moved effortlessly through the tables. It was a job that she'd worked for 30 years and she was damn good at it, no matter how mundane it might've seemed. She was just taking an order when Zelena walked in and hesitantly sat down, looking around with quick glances. She looked like she was about to be sick.

"Are you alright?" Ruby asked with concern, quickly going to the witch's side.

"I'm fine. I just want some soup, please."

Ruby nodded and quickly sent in the order. She took Whale's order as well and brought both back out at the same time.

"You didn't mix my order with that witch's, did you?" Whale asked.

"No." Ruby growled. She took Zelena her soup. "It's on me. If there's anything else I can get you-"

"Ruby, you forgot my spoon." Whale called.

Ruby sighed and magically produced a spoon in her hand and heated it until it was bright red and placed it in the soup. "Happy now?"

"Ecstatic." Whale smirked.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at Zelena, noticing the smirk on the woman's face. She switched to working the bar and jumped when Whale suddenly screamed and leaped up, knocking over his table. She grinned and waved her hand to clean it up before going back to cleaning the counter as though nothing had happened. Zelena snickered from her seat as she slowly ate the soup, but it wasn't a stomachache, despite the fact that she was holding her abdomen. Ruby could see the waves of magic swirling dangerously inside the woman. She was so powerful, had so much built up tension, that sooner or later the magic was either going to destroy her or let itself free. Neither would be good for anyone. Zelena finished her food, not looking any better, and got up to leave. Ruby gave Granny a quick excuse to leave and followed the woman out into the street. "Hey, Zelena, wait up a sec."

"Thank you for the soup, but what do you want?" Zelena asked with that same suspicious look on her face that Regina had used. The effect of being manipulated and mistreated for a lifetime.

"When was the last time you used your magic?"

"Why? Did the heroes send you to ask me that? I haven't done anything to anyone in months." The witch snapped.

"I know, I'm just concerned considering you're dying."

"What?"

"If you don't let out your magic, it's going to kill you."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because it was doing the same thing to your sister." Ruby answered. "Would you like for me to help?"

"Help how?"

Ruby grabbed her wrist and poofed them to a cliff. Without a word, she pushed Zelena over the edge. The werewolf tapped her arm patiently. A moment later, Zelena shot into the sky on her broomstick, spiraling over head before diving back towards Ruby, with every obvious intention of pushing her off the cliff, but Ruby raised her hand and the broom went into a dead stop, throwing Zelena into her arms.

"What the hell?"

"There's a lot to explain, I know. But first, don't try to do that again."

/

/

/

Regina looked up at Belle, asleep on the couch. The woman must've been exhausted. Regina smiled and went to her study, pushing a button on her answering machine and watching as the hidden panel in the wall opened up. Inside, was a trunk. She opened it and pulled out the box inside and put it on her desk. She magically wrapped it in purple wrapping paper with a red bow and poofed it and Miss French back to her apartment above the library. With that done, she went to bed for the day. Once she awoke again, there was a brand new phone lying on her bedside table, with a note from Ruby telling her to meet her tonight at the Rabbit Hole. Regina immediately got up to shower and change into a little red dress that showed off her legs, figure and cleavage. Ruby was going to flip. She did her hair and makeup and completely ignored the need for jewelry except for a pair of silver earrings with a ruby in the center. She stepped outside with a smile as the dark streets awaited her. She poofed to the Rabbit Hole and went inside, her eyes immediately falling on Belle and her sister talking in a corner booth.

"Hey, Regina, you made it." Belle smiled. She was decked down in one of Lacey's dresses, a simple one sleeved dark blue dress with fishnet stockings and heels.

"Of course." Regina dipped her head at her sister. Zelena had her hair straightened and was dressed in a long sparkling emerald dress with a high slit on one side and matching heels. The witch nodded back as she sipped her drink. "What are you doing here?"

"What? I can't enjoy a night on the town as well?" Zelena asked.

"I never said you couldn't." Regina retorted. "It's just a bit of a surprise."

Zelena flicked an eyebrow before turning back to Belle. "So what happens after I escape the wizard's clutches?"

"You fly on your broomstick for the first time." Belle said.

"Did you know there's a book about me?" Zelena asked.

"No, I didn't." Regina answered.

"It's in the library. You can come check it out anytime."

Regina looked around and smirked when she spotted Ruby, already dancing on the dancefloor. She walked forward, skirting the edge of the dancefloor. Ruby turned her head and paused, smirking as their eyes met. She walked forward, matching Regina's pace. Regina turned her head, fighting the urge to grin as Ruby teleported directly in front of her.

"Are you trying to be hunted, my dear?" Ruby asked, kissing her on the neck. "You know you bring out the animal in me."

Regina practically purred at her touch. She turned her back to Ruby and waded onto the floor with the werewolf just behind her. Tonight she was just going to enjoy herself, to let go, to be free. Damn the consequences and damn who saw. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had so much fun. Dancing like she didn't have a care in the world, with her wolf, her lovely lover. They were soon joined by Zelena and Belle and the four of them enjoyed themselves for the night.

Regina giggled as Ruby lifted her onto her back, carrying her through the night towards the mansion. Zelena and Belle were drunkening skipping around them.

"I want some popcorn." Zelena said.

"And cake." Belle agreed. "Regina has all that stuff at the house."

"Let's have a sleepover." Regina grinned. Ruby chuckled as both sisters sneezed and everyone nearly leaped out of their skin as two nearby cars exploded. She nearly dropped Regina as she hurriedly climbed down and took off running. Zelena and Belle did the same and she roared with laughter at their silliness.

"Two of you have magic. Why are you running?!" She looked up at the police cruiser pulling up and scowled when Emma got out of it.

"Regina! Regina, wait!" Emma called.

"It's the cops!" Regina yelled, diving into a bush.

"Note to self: only get Regina drunk at home." Ruby muttered, striding over quickly as Emma helped Regina up.

"I'm not going to arrest you, just fix the cars." Emma said. "let me get you home."

"They're fine with me." Ruby fixed the cars and picked Regina up, throwing her over her shoulder. She did the same with Zelena and Belle and walked up to the mansion, kicking open the door and walked inside, laying the women on the couches. Belle almost immediately rolled off onto the floor and curled into a tight ball. Ruby sighed and turned back to Emma, backing her out of the house and onto the porch. "Thanks for your help, Emma, but I've got it."

"Look, just tell Regina to call me when she feels better tomorrow."

"Why?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in an almost canine manner.

"Because I need to talk to her." Emma said, glaring at her. "You're not the boss of her."

"Of course I'm not. No one is the boss of Regina but Regina. But I know you have feeling for her, and she's mine. Get that through your head right now."

"Who the fuck are you to-"

Ruby roared as she suddenly shifted and bared her teeth, towering over Emma. "I am the fucking Dark One!" She snarled. "And I will destroy anything that threatens my pack."

"You saved us that day." Emma realized, looking at her with wide eyes.

"I did."

"You're the Dark One now? How- What-"

Regina stumbled out onto the porch and leaned against Ruby's shoulder. "Okay big fella, time to go to bed." Ruby immediately softened and gave her nose a lick. "That was disgusting. Come on! We're gonna make some spaghetti."

Ruby shifted back. "No, you're not. All of you are going to bed."

"Kiss my ass." Regina replied, turning to Emma. "Hi Emma, when did you get here?"

"I'll definitely be doing that later." Ruby picked Regina up and carried her back into the house, kicking the door closed with her foot. "Zelena, get off the table!"

xxxxxxx

Ruby grinned the next morning as she tiptoed in the living room where Regina, Belle and Zelena were sleeping and threw open the curtains.

"What the fuck, Ruby?" Zelena groaned, rolling Belle in front of her.

"I hate you so fucking much right now." Regina muttered, covering her head.

Belle just mumbled something unintelligible and pulled a pillow on top of her.

"The sun is shining and the day is beautiful. Let's get up and go for a run." Both sisters flipped her off in unison and she could only laugh as she reclosed the curtains and snuggled up with Regina on the couch.

"Never let me drink again." Regina groaned.

"As you wish." Ruby purred, kissing her cheek. She could afford to take a day off. She was sure Granny would understand that she needed to take care of her pack. Her new pack. It was almost like a dream. Things were going to change from now on, and all of Storybrooke would know that there was a new alpha in town.

Read and review!


	3. Chapter 3

Regina howled, running at Ruby's side through the forest. Zelena and Belle were just behind them. Over the last few weeks, everyone had sort of established their roles in the pack. Ruby of course was the alpha. Regina was her mate and her partner, the greatest leaper out of all of them. Zelena and Belle shared the roles of beta, and while Zelena was the fastest, Belle was the most clever and the best Fisher. They hardly left their lagoon sanctuary nowadays, and when they did, they simply holed up in Regina's mansion usually sleeping the day away so they could be well rested by the night. They was no other world, other than their world. There was no other people other than those in her pack. Storybrooke hardly seemed to exist anymore. However they did go back every now and then to visit Granny and helped her in the diner when she needed it.

Regina hardly saw Emma, Henry or Robin, but she knew the peace wouldn't last long. She and Zelena were laughing as they waded through the dining tables, serving food to the patrons.

"The Evil Queen and the Wicked Witch waiting tables?" Leroy said as he walked in.

The sisters smiled and lead him over to a table. "And who can they say they have been served by a witch and a queen?" Regina asked.

"Such beautiful women waiting hand and foot on a single handsome dwarf." Zelena added with a smirk.

"You're lying through your teeth, sister." Leroy laughed.

"You're damn right I am. Everyone knows Dopey is the cutest dwarf." She grinned and sauntered off while Leroy pretended to be offended.

When Emma walked into the diner with Henry, to say she was surprised was an understatement. Two of the biggest former villains in Storybrooke were waiting tables, smiling and laughing like she'd never seen them do before. Regina lead her over to a table.

"What can I get you?" She asked.

Henry looked a bit confused, but ordered a burger with everything on it, a soda and some fries and onion rings, a clear test to see what his brunette mother would say. But Regina only smiled and wrote down his order. Emma just ordered her usual grilled cheese and fries.

"Emma, before you leave, remind me to talk to you about something important." Regina said.

"Sure." Emma said, watching the brunette strut away. Belle and Ruby were busy working the cash register and the bar to pay much attention. It was a surprise as well, seeing Belle out of the library. The good natured beauty was laughing at something Ruby said and Granny threw a dish towel at them and told them to get back to work.

Regina and Zelena returned with their food and placed it front of them.

"Hey, Ruby said to be ready to go by 8 if you want to see if there's enough room in the caves."

Regina nodded and turned to Emma. "Do you think you'll be able to come back then, Emma?"

"Um, sure. I need to talk to you anyway."

Regina smiled brightly. "Great." She turned back to go do her job and left Emma and Henry alone while they are, hardly even acknowledging her son in any other way. They finished their dinner and left, but Emma returned around 8 to talk to Regina. Zelena and Belle were wiping down tables and Ruby was counting the money in the register. She gave the blonde a disdainful look before turning back to her task. Regina came in out of the back and smiled at seeing Emma again.

"Good, you came." Regina said, conjuring a stack of papers to place on a table. "I need you to sign these."

"What is it?" Emma asked, flipping through the small stack.

"Adoption dissolution papers."

"What?!"

"What?" Regina asked.

"You're giving up Henry? Regina, this thing he's going through is just a phase, I promise. I'll get him to come over more."

"That won't be necessary, Miss Swan." Regina smirked, conjuring a pin as well. "Besides, I haven't seen Henry in over 3 months. He won't even acknowledge my presence anymore so why keep this little tether between us. Then you and him will be free of me. You, Henry and Neal can be a family."

"I don't want to be a family with Neal, I want to be a family with you, Regina." Emma said. She glanced up at the others, but they clearly didn't care. "Regina, I love you. I took that darkness into me to save you because I love you. I have for a long time."

Regina shook her head. "I think we've had this conversation before, Emma. And I'm kinda already in a relationship right now. I'm sorry to hurt your feelings, but I did tell you that the feeling wasn't mutual."

"I tried to save you." Emma said softly. "Because I love you, I really **do** love, Regina. Can't I at least have a chance? You're still giving Robin one and he's married with a kid."

"Miss Swan." Regina sighed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. She smiled. "Why is what I do so important to you? Can I not have a life? Or am I doomed to play the part of lady in waiting for all time? Is my purpose only here to serve you and the heroes?"

"No, Regina-"

Regina raised a hand and smiled. "Everything is in the past, Miss Swan. I don't even care. However my future will be what I make it and I don't really want it to include you. So...will that be all?"

"What about Henry then? Is he a part of that too?" Emma asked, looking like she was on the verge of tears.

"I haven't decided yet. It's really his decision." Regina replied thoughtfully. Sure, she could've spoken tactfully to not hurt the other woman's feelings, but she didn't really care at this point. The blonde could love her all she wanted, but Regina just didn't want a relationship with her at all. The only good memory she could associate with the Savior was Henry. But now, he was almost a _distant_ memory. He'd treated her like some evil woman always out to get him, distant and cold and always making some mention of her terrible past to hurt her. Then over the last few months, that had stopped altogether. Nothing. Not a phone call or visit. Nothing. And then she, poor little Regina, tried her hardest to get him to spend time with her. After all, she was his **real** mother. But **Baelfire** seemed to have taken her place. He rarely even spent time with Emma anymore. So, Regina had given up, and devoted herself to her dark isolation, hoping against hope that he would come back to her. He hadn't.

"You're still giving up on him?" Emma asked.

Regina sighed. "Would he care if I did?"

"Yes! He **would** care, because you're his mother."

"Only because a piece of paper says so." She countered, holding out the pen. "But it soon won't anymore. The big bad lady will be gone, never to intrude on your happy ending again."

Emma slowly took it and Regina gave a reassuring smile. "But what if he changes his mind and misses you?"

"He has my number. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. It won't be any different than the way it's been for months. Let me go, Emma."

Emma looked up at Ruby, who was watching out of the corner of her eye. "She put you up to this."

Regina sighed again and turned Emma's head back to the paper. "Of course not. This was my decision."

"Well I'm not signing this." Emma said.

Regina simply waved her hand, adding Emma's signature next to hers. The papers disappeared a moment later. "They're already filed. Henry is now your son, and only **your** son."

"If you could just do that, then why did you want me to sign it?"

"I wanted your cooperation, but…" She shrugged. "It doesn't matter now. Thank you. Now, what did you need to talk to me about?"

Emma sat down and sighed. "After all you've done to keep Henry, how can you just let him go like that?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "To give us both our best chance." She replied simply.

"But **how**?" Emma asked, looking up at her. "Your love runs so deep, you would've given everything for Henry."

"I will still protect him when necessary. That's an instinct that just won't go away. As for my love, Miss Swan, let's not pretend like you really know me because you don't. You don't know the innocent girl in love with a stableboy, the Evil Queen or the Mayor. You don't know what all of those people, all of those experiences, come together to create, which is me."

"Then give me a chance to find out."

Regina shook her head. "I don't want to. For so long, I've just wanted to be someone's first choice. I've always been the second wife, the second mother, the second lover, second queen, second daughter, and I've never been good enough for anyone. Not my mother, my son, my 'supposed' soulmate. Now, I am someone's first. Someone who cares about me." She glanced at a blushing Ruby and smirked. "You can love me, Miss Swan, all you want, but it will change nothing. One day, maybe you will know me. But it is not this day nor anytime soon." She helped Emma stand again and escorted her out onto the sidewalk. The rest of her pack followed and Ruby started to lead them away. "Good night Emma." Regina shifted to follow her friends out into the forest, leaving behind a heartbroken savior to go home and tell her family the wonderful news. Ruby paused to give her mate a lick on the nose. Belle nuzzled her neck and Zelena even gave her ear tip an affectionate nip. With that, they were off again, dashing through the moonlight towards their isolated home. They waded through the lagoon to the caves above it and Regina made some torches as they went about, exploring the caverns.

"I found a great place for a workshop." Zelena said, leading her sister down into a large cavern. It was dark, but after a bit of magical intervention, the room became lavishly furnished with thick red carpets, lots of potion making equipment, braziers and a fireplace for light, a few couches and worktables and plenty of herbs hanging from the ceiling. "I think we can make this work." The witch said with a smirk. "But we'll definitely need to add in some green."

Regina rolled her eyes with a smirk. "The largest cave is big enough for the house. But it'll be seen from below."

"Won't matter. Who's gonna come here? They won't be able to get up here anyway without magic or knowing the path around back." They headed back up to the main cave where Ruby was shifting the rock, creating a room for a library for Belle.

"This place will be wonderful once we finish." said the bookworm.

"We should move the house tomorrow." Regina said.

"What about starting a garden?" Zelena asked. "Maybe even an orchard."

"Sounds great." Ruby stepped back as the sisters set to work, building the place to Belle's like, filling the newly made room with wall to wall bookshelves, filled with books. They added in some braziers and tables, carpets and chairs all over the room, making a cozy home for a bookworm like Belle.

"The house is gonna need some expansion too." Zelena said as they walked back out to the belt of sand.

"I know." Regina sighed, giddy with excitement. "This is going to be awesome." She looked at Ruby and kissed her lips. "A den for our pack is just what we need."

"We need to make Granny a magical shortcut so she doesn't have to walk here. Don't tell her it was my idea. She might shoot me for thinking that she's weak or something." Ruby said, kissing her back.

"As you wish." Regina smirked. "The sun'll be up soon, we should head back. I want to catch Henry before he gets to school." Ruby nodded and shifted, leading them back to Storybrooke at a leisurely pace. The others went into the house while Regina waited on the sidewalk, arriving just as Emma and Henry were rounding the corner. "Henry." The boy stopped, looking confused.

"Yeah?"

"After school I need you to come over and get your things out of your room. Anything you might want or need."

"Why?" Emma asked.

"Because I'm moving and I need his things out by the end of the day. As soon as possible preferably."

"Moving?" Henry said. "Moving where? Why?"

"Because I want a change of scenery." Regina replied with a smile. "That reminds me, I need to move my tree too." She said thoughtfully. "Definitely can't forget that."

"Where are you moving?" Emma reiterated. There weren't many places in Storybrooke available and she didn't believe Regina would move out of her mansion just to move into a tiny apartment.

"West." Regina grinned. "Zelena picked the direction as you can imagine."

"What about your magic?" Henry asked.

"What about it?"

"You're still going to use it?"

"Of course I am."

"You're not supposed to be using your magic." He said.

"Henry, I can do whatever I want." Regina answered. "I don't have to follow rules anymore. They're beneath me." She turned to go back into the house. "If you don't come get your stuff, everything's going to be waiting in boxes."

"Regina!" Emma called, but the queen was gone.

Regina ran her fingers through her hair as she headed upstairs where Ruby was already in their bed. The werewolf opened her arms and Regina fell into them with a content sigh. "We'll need to take a trip to my vault this evening and clean it out."

"It shall be done." Ruby replied, nuzzling her neck. "Are you alright?"

"Just fine."

"I want to kill Emma."

"No you don't."

"I do. She keeps looking at you like some lovesick puppy. I don't want her looking at what's mine like that."

"She can never have me, Ruby. And do you know why?" Regina said, looking her in the eye.

"Why?"

"Because I am yours. I am _**your**_ mate. And nothing is going to change that. i love you."

"I love you too." Ruby smiled.

Regina leaned up and pulled a small box out of her bedside table and handed it to her. "Darkness like yours bears a heavy weight on the soul." She said, watching as Ruby pulled out the necklace with Daniel's ring on it. "This has gotten me through a lot of bad times, reminding me that there is goodness in the world, innocence and beauty. That everything isn't all bad, and the future can be brighter depending on what I make it. I'd like you to have it." She took it from Ruby and put it on her neck. "You don't mind the darkness. I don't either, but if it ever gets to be too much, then just let me know, because I will do everything in my power to get it out of you. To make everything better again."

Ruby nodded. "Thank you, Regina. And I'm fine, but...thank you." She looked down and Regina kissed her cheek and buried her face in the neck of her wolf. They embraced one another and lay down for the day, content in the other's arms.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

That afternoon, after picking up Henry, Emma practically had to force him to go to Regina's house.

"She's not moving." Her son scoffed. "Where is she gonna go? She's just doing this because she knows what she's doing is wrong. She promised not to use her magic, we told her she couldn't use it and she kept using it."

"We don't have the right to tell your mom what to do, Henry." Emma said. "She's right about that. She's been good for a long time now."

"Magic makes her evil. She only uses dark magic. And, she's not my mom anymore, you are-" He paused at seeing a bunch of boxes sitting in Regina's driveway. All of them had his name written on the front, but the oddest thing was that the house was gone, as well as Regina's tree. "She **did** leave." Henry gasped.

"And took everything with her." Emma added.

Read and review! A/N: I'll be bringing in Lily in the next chapter and maybe someone else, but I haven't decided yet. Then the pack will be complete and we can get to the good stuff. Thoughts and suggestions?


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't until at least a month later before Emma found Regina in Storybrooke again. She and Zelena were shopping at the grocery store. She gave Zelena a list and the witch wheeled away the cart while Regina turned back to the shelf of seed packets and began picking some off.

"Hey Regina." She said.

"Hello Miss Swan." The brunette said with a kind smile.

"I see that you really did move."

"Did you think I was lying?" Regina tilted her head.

"No. I just didn't expect you to take the entire house with you." Emma said.

Regina chuckled. "I needed it."

"You planting a garden?"

"Yep." Regina smirked. "Have you seen Lily around?"

"Um, no. She stays at an apartment near the docks though. Why?"

"We're going to play a game in a couple days and we wanted some more players." Regina answered. She turned her head as Zelena returned. "Zelena, every fucking thing in this cart is green."

"I know that." Zelena grinned as Regina placed the packets in the cart. "But green is the best color anyway."

"Zelena, I swear. Is that all the stuff?"

"Everything you wrote." She wiggled her fingers at Emma in greeting before strutting off with the cart again towards the checkout line.

"So, where'd you guys move?" Emma asked, following the brunette as she walked after her sister.

"I told you. West."

"You're not gonna tell me, huh?"

"Well, you don't actually need to know, Miss Swan. It's away from your precious little town so I can't 'endanger' anyone else. And please tell your parents to stop calling me. I'm not about to go back to being their puppy and I don't want to waste my time or my magic trying to kill them."

"I'll talk to them." Emma said. "Have you had any more seizures?" She asked with genuine concern.

"Surprisingly, no." Regina looked around, spotting Belle walking towards her with her arms laden with gardening equipment, which she tossed into the cart as well.

"That's everything. Ruby's getting a horse and cart to carry everything back." She said.

"Horse and cart? Are you guys moving back to the stone ages or something. We have cars in this land." Emma looked between the three of them.

"There aren't enough trails that go that deep into the forest. Some horses pulling a cart could get us there easily."

"That's easier than poofing everything there?" Emma asked.

"Sometimes magic isn't the only solution to everything, Miss Swan." Regina smirked, turning to help her sister put everything on the conveyer belt.

Emma looked at Belle as she checked things off a list. "What game are you playing?"

"I have no idea. Something Ruby and Zelena decided. Certainly wasn't my idea, but I'm sure it'll be entertaining. I forgot Ruby's pottery tools. Be right back." The woman rushed off and Emma left the store, tilting her head confusingly, pondering all that she'd just heard.

"Hey Emma." Her dad pulled up in the cruiser and gestured to the store. "Is Regina inside?"

"Yeah, but look, bothering her constantly isn't going to make her do anything she doesn't want to do, Dad."

Charming simply went to go park and returned just as Regina exited the store. Belle hopped on the front of the shopping cart as Zelena jumped on the back and rode the cart like children down to Regina's mercedes. Regina shook her head with a smile. "Hey Regina!" Charming yelled. Emma rolled her eyes as the former queen walked over.

"Can I help you, David?"

"Yeah. You can tell us where you're going with all this supplies. Where's your house?"

"Why are you so interested in what I do?" Regina asked.

"Because when the Evil Queen disappears for an extended period of time, it usually means she's plotting something. Some townspeople are getting worried."

"Let me get this straight." Regina chuckled. "I have been in this town for the last half a year doing absolutely nothing but rotting in my own home and all your 'townspeople' wanted was for me to leave. So when I finally do leave, you want me to come back so you can keep an eye on me?"

"We all know that you have a tendency to relapse." Charming said.

"Relapse?" Regina said slowly. "Right."

"Not to mention Ruby is the new Dark One and Zelena has been flying around Storybrooke on her broomstick. This is causing people to worry. They think you're aligning and corrupting us." He gestured to Belle.

"Wolf."

"What?"

"Dark Wolf. She gets annoyed when you say Dark One." Regina said. "As for flying, is there a law against it? Is there a law against minding my own damn business? You should take a hint, Charming, don't piss me off."

"Is that a threat?" He asked.

"It's a warning." Zelena appeared next to her sister, one palm already glowing with green fire.

"So now you're playing the role of protective sister?" Charming hissed.

Zelena smirked. "Better late than never."

"This is why we forbid you to use your magic. For the protection of the citizens."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Kiss my ass, Farmer. Ladies, let's roll. We have more important things to do."

Zelena scowled at Charming and extinguished the flame in her hand. "As you wish. But if this comes down to a battle, Farm Boy's ass is mine."

"All yours." Regina smirked as they got into her car, magically taking their groceries with them as they drove off.

"Well that was wonderful, Dad." Emma sighed. "Maybe if you actually tried to talk to them without trying to make them follow rules, they'll listen. This isn't the Enchanted Forest. You can't just make a decree and expect it to be followed through."

"Since when did you get so sympathetic towards the villains? Excluding Belle of course, but she's probably under some kind of spell."

"Do you hear yourself right now? I admit what they're doing is a little weird, but we should just...leave them alone." She sighed, leaning against the car.

"You've been acting weird since you had the darkness taken out of you. Regina gave Henry back to you, why are you still upset?"

Emma sighed. Because she was still in love with Regina. Everything felt like it was falling apart. All she wanted was the stubborn brunette queen, but she was taken now. And she was **not** going back to Neal. None of this was what she wanted.

"Emma." Her father said, looking at her with concern.

"It's nothing. I'm go finish my patrol. See you at home later."

Xxxxxxxx

Ruby leaned against the railing of the porch of the small apartment, dressed in barely more than jean shorts and a black tank top. Clothes were so constricting. As much as she wanted to be naked in bed with Regina right now, their den was hardly complete. As was their pack. She liked Lily, she was a nice girl. A little quiet due to being alone for most of her life because of the extra darkness in her, but Ruby knew she was a dragon dying to shed its human skin and become what she was always meant to be. Lily peeked out the door and smiled at seeing the werewolf on her doorstep.

"Hey Rubes."

"Hey Lil."

"What are you up to?"

"I'm working on a little project and I need some extra animal power. Got any plans?"

Lily shook her head. "Isn't exactly much a lone dragon can do in Storybrooke."

"Where's your mom?" Ruby asked, crossing her arms.

"Hibernating or something. She won't be up for another couple months. 28 years of being trapped underground apparently has taken its toll on her magic. Hibernating helps her jump start it or something." Lily sighed. "I don't know how to induce it or I would join her...just be with someone who isn't afraid of my darkness."

"You're not the only one who knows about darkness." She conjured the Dark One's dagger in her hand and showed the young dragoness her name clearly etched into the side. "I know what it feels like to be alone too. So, how would you like to join my wolf pack?"

Lily chuckled. "A dragon in a wolf pack?"

"Well, it's currently inhabited by a witch, a bookworm, a werewolf and a queen. I don't think a dragon is gonna make much of a difference." She smiled. "We're building a den, away from town. Away from the heroes and their stupid rules. You won't have to be alone anymore. We'll be with you, and we'll have your back."

Lily turned around, thinking over the offer. "What do I have to do?"

"Help me pick up some wood from Geppetto and some spare parts from the junkyard. The place is beautiful. You could have your own room, decorate it how you like. Rent...free."

Lily turned back around with a grin, one hand going unconsciously to caress the piece of dragon egg hanging from her neck. "Alright then. Let's do it."

"Excellent." Ruby grinned as well and lead her down to where her giant pickup truck was parked. Merida was standing on the back of it, impatiently tapping her fingers.

"Aye, let's go. You people are slow as hell."

"I brought some more hands." Ruby said.

Mulan slammed her hand on the horn half a dozen times.

Ruby had invited both of them knowing that they were alone in Storybrooke as well. What with Mulan's unrequited love and Merida being separated from her family, she knew they'd be perfect members of her pack. They were loyal and brave and although they weren't villains, they jumped at the chance to get away from Storybrooke as well. Everything was falling into place for her and her newly formed pack. She hardly felt the ache of loneliness anymore. Her hand went to touch the necklace Regina had given her and she even felt the darkness recede a little bit.

"We going or what? I want to see this den." Merida said. "Do you have a shooting range?"

"Nope, but there's no reason why we can't make one." Ruby said, climbing into the driver's seat. Lily climbed onto the back with Merida, both of them standing up and grabbing into the steel bars on top of the truck.

Xxxxxxxx

When the Charmings walked into the Granny's for another family dinner, Ruby and her pack were on duty once again, stopping by frequently to converse with Merida, Mulan and Lily.

"Now they're trying to drag other people into their weird cult." Neal said.

"It's not a cult." Emma muttered, looking over the menu.

"It's weird."

"And none of our business." She peeked up as Regina walked by with not even a glance in their direction. She smiled brightly as Kathryn walked in and lead her to a seat, making pleasant conversation before going to get her order.

"They were lugging a whole bunch of stuff into a cart today. Looked like metal and stuff." Henry said. He suddenly grinned. "We should make it an operation to find out."

"You should call it Operation Shark." Ruby smirked as she walked up with a pad and pen. "Sharks are cool."

"He wasn't serious." Emma said.

"Oh I think he was." Ruby winked. "But it doesn't matter. Because Henry is going to be a good little boy and do what his mom says, right?" She looked at Henry, smiling and showing off her rows of pointed teeth. "He doesn't want to go wandering and find the big bad wolf's den, right?" Henry slowly shook his head. "Good." She grinned and turned back to the table. "What can I get you fine folks this evening?"

"Did you just threaten my son?" Neal asked.

Emma threw up her hands in defeat. No wonder Regina hated them. She hated Neal too but her parents and Henry were just as bad at trying to antagonize everything the woman did, along with anyone else who decided to give her a chance.

"No, dear, I did not. I simply warned your son not to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. If you were any kind of parental figure, we wouldn't be having this problem. Now, can I take your order?" The werewolf seemed amused by Neal's look of indignation, but he was intelligent enough to keep his mouth closed except to place his order. Ruby smirked and went to go give the orders to the kitchens.

Henry immediately got up to go sit with Lily, Merida and Mulan. "You guys know what's going on with Ruby and my mom- Regina, don't you?"

"Yeah, why?" Lily asked.

" Because I want to know."

"It doesn't concern you, lad." Merida said. "It ain't nothing illegal. They're building a giant metal flying machine."

"I don't believe that. What would you guys need with an airplane?"

"For flying of course." Lily answered, smirking.

"Come on. I want to know."

"It's none of your business, Henry. Focus on school and stuff." Lily said dismissively, turning back to Mulan. When the boy didn't move, she turned back to him and let her eyes glow with dragon fire. "I haven't had my dinner, Little Prince, and my mom told me all about eating people. Children are nice and soft and juicy."

"I'm not afraid of you." He said.

She grinned, teeth clicking down into fangs. "Are you?" The boy leaned away from her before quickly scurrying back to his family.

/

"The heroes are so damn nosy it makes me sick." Ruby growled, watching Regina start fixing a few plates. "And Henry's a nosy little brat. Starting an 'operation' to intrude on our plans."

"Indeed." Regina said. A lot had changed over the course of the last few months and she felt freer that she'd ever felt before, like she was finally on the right path again in life. But the heroes still couldn't leave them alone. It was starting to piss her off and she knew that she when she lost her temper, everyone usually suffered. And her former son was in the same hole. It didn't bother her as much as it did before. Henry's grip on her heart had loosened, and she could breathe easier without him. Besides, he was better off without her anyway. But the situation wasn't made any better by the Charmings actions.

"Why can't they just fuck off?" The she-wolf growled.

"Because they are completely bored with their lives." Regina smirked. She touched Ruby's cheek. The werewolf leaned into her touch and looked her in the eye. "Don't let them make you angry. We could destroy them all if we wanted. Just focus on our pack, on us. On me. Everything's going to be fine."

"I know that." Ruby sighed, putting an arm around her, only to receive a dish towel to the face.

"You gonna stand around yapping all day, or are you gonna get those orders out to the customers?" Granny asked.

Regina chuckled. "We're on it, Eugenia." She kissed Ruby's cheek and went back to work. Their shifts ended soon and Ruby let out a wild whoop of joy as she threw off her apron, leading everyone out the back. Regina laughed as her mate shifted and quickly followed suit. Belle followed her. Zelena came next, becoming a slender pale red wolf with four black paws. They used magic to turn the newest members of their pack. Lily became a dark wolf with a golden red undertone. Merida's fur was a very dark red, and Mulan's coat color was a light cinnamon brown with a white tail tip. Lily easily picked up moving with four legs, having already experienced times as a dragon. Merida and Mulan needed to be taught, but they were determined to learn. It didn't take them long and soon Ruby was leading them through the forest as the moon showered them from above with pale light. They came to a meadow, filled with fireflies. They paused to take in the beautiful sight, filling the air with wolf song before continuing on their way to the den. Splashing through the mangrove swamp, Regina let out a happy yip as she spotted her house, rammed into the cave above the falls, fitting snugly in its new place. It was a glorious sight, but their work was far from over.

The forest was filled that with the sounds of their minstrations, breaking down walls, smashing through floors, grinding and shifting stone, tunneling through dirt, splashing through water, felling trees. They worked long into the night. Morning held a new challenge, creating room for their orchard and garden, as well as Regina's tree. That would require even more work. All of the women worked though. None complained, each carried their weight. They were all exhausted, but abuzz with excitement at creating their perfect haven.

Regina chose a room, burrowed deep into the mountain, where only a few cracks of light could seep through and fall upon the coffins of her parents. She ran her fingers over each one, remembering every terrible and wonderful memory of each of them.

"No matter what anyone says…" Zelena stepped into the room, leaning against the doorway. "The pain of loss never goes away."

"Truer words have never been spoken." Regina replied, looking up.

"Ruby wanted you to take a break. Get some sleep."

"We've all been up all night." Regina pointed out, looking back down at her mother's coffin. There was so much darkness she acquainted with her mother, that she was surprised herself by actually finding some good in there too. "I miss her sometimes." She said softly.

"I never knew her." Zelena stepped forward. "But if she could create something as amazing as us, I suppose she can't be all bad."

Regina smirked. "I'm glad I have a sister."

"Me too. It's fun having someone to share terrible childhood stories." She grinned. "Ugh, they sucked."

"They did." Regina yawned.

"Come on baby sister, your alpha awaits." Zelena took her wrist and lead her out of the room, waving as they left to transform the simple oak door that Regina had put in place, into a grand set of double stone doors with intricate designs etched into the surface. They walked together up through the carved halls of stone and into the mansion. Zelena broke to go to her own room and Regina went upstairs to hers. Ruby was standing in front of the bed in nothing but black lingerie. She looked over her shoulder and smirked.

"You okay?"

"Exhausted, but I'm okay." She answered, shedding her own clothes and climbing into bed. Ruby climbed in with her, wrapping her in her arms and kissed her neck.

"We're going to have sex as soon we're rested."

"Sure." Regina smirked, sighing contently as Ruby lay down and pulled her close. "Whatever you want, Dark Wolf."

"Ugh, stop talking sexy like that. Regina. I'm tired."

"I just said Dark Wolf." Regina laughed. She really hadn't meant to be sexy in any way, but her voice was heavy and deep because she could barely keep her eyes open. "Everything turns you on."

"Everything **you** do, yes." Ruby replied.

"I know." She purposefully let a seductive lilt slip into her voice and immediately felt herself being rolled across the bed. Ruby was on top of her a second later, kissing her neck.

"You little tease." The she-wolf growled as Regina laughed, more than happy to just be in Ruby's arms, to finally have that one person that wanted her above all else.

"I love you, Ruby."

"I love you too, Regina."

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	5. Chapter 5

"What? Are you- Have you been a book nerd this entire time and haven't told me?" Belle demanded, pulling out the box that Regina had given her a while ago. It was full of books of every sort from different countries and even different worlds.

"Yeah, Regina." Ruby said. "You guys could've been having deep conversations about good literature." She was busy creating a vase on her pottery wheel, one of the only things that kept her occupied from the darkness, but that didn't stop Regina from hitting her in the back of the head.

"So I'm a bit of a nerd. So what?"

Belle held up a magic book where Regina had covered most of the pages with notes about magic and calculations. "I'd say you were a little more than a bit of a nerd."

"I thought I took that one out." Regina said, taking it from her and flipping through the pages. "I remember these. Oh, the memories."

Belle chuckled as she continued looking through the books. "These are amazing Regina. Thank you so much."

"You're more than welcome, dear." Regina smiled, sitting to watch Ruby expertly craft a lump of black clay in a vase. She infused it with a bright flash of magic, turning it partially a shade of very dark blue. Tiny spots of light appeared along the design. She realized they must be Stars. Ruby dipped her finger in a small bowl as the vase continued spinning on the wheel and spread a streak of red around the bottom of the face that started to sparkle like diamonds. Ruby signaled to Lily who had walked in and the dragoness blasted it with fire, cementing it in place.

"That's beautiful, Ruby."

"Thanks, Regina." Ruby flashed her a wolfish grin as she picked up the vase and carried it off to her collection in the mansion.

"So, need any help, guys?" Lily asked.

"Um yes, I'm trying to organize all my new books. I have so much reading to do thanks to Regina." Belle motioned to the box on the table. Lily helped her start putting everything on the shelves.

"We leave in 20 minutes, guys." Regina said, departing to head upstairs to the house. She peered out over the waterfall, finding Mulan and Merida sparring below. Zelena was probably in the garden. She went into the house and found Ruby in her old study. All the books had been moved to Belle's library and the desk, freeing up the shelves and space for Ruby's creations and her pottery equipment, although she essentially had one in almost every room. Ruby had placed her newest vase on a shelf among the multiple others, varying in size, shape and color, yet each one still possessed what looked like stars in the design.

"You smell different." Ruby commented without turning around.

"What?"

"Your scent has changed." Ruby replied, turning to face her as she mixed some kind clay in large bowl. She placed it on a table and approached her mate and sniffed along her neck. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I haven't changed anything."

"Good. I'll ask Granny about it the next time we go in to work."

"Okay." Regina closed her eyes, leaning into the wolf's touch as Ruby kissed her forehead and pulled her into her arms. "Is the darkness getting to you?"

"It does at times, but I'm okay."

"Will you tell me if you aren't okay?"

"Probably not."

Regina stepped back and punched her in the chest. "Tell me, Ruby. I want to help. If there's anything I can do, please let me know."

"Alright." Ruby smirked. "You can get naked. That'll help."

Regina rolled her eyes, but snapped her fingers, removing all of her clothes. "We have 20 minutes."

Ruby's eyes widened as she focused on the queen's body. "That is not enough time to fully appreciate how sexy you are, Regina. But I can try." She closed and locked the door and cleared off the table, picking Regina and sitting her on the edge of it. "My only problem is, where to start."

"How about here?" Regina opened her legs, making Ruby growl with desire.

Xxxxxxx

Emma and her mother were walking along the trail leading down to the lake and the blonde couldn't help rolling her eyes at the way her mother was peeking around every bush trying to catch a glimpse of the elusive pack of shifters that recently left Storybrooke to make their home out in the woods.

"What was Regina like? Before...everything." Emma asked.

Snow paused and thought for a moment, then a smile touched her lips. "She was radiant. Luminous even. I uh, once saw her out in the meadow with Rocinante once. It was like she was the one shining, rather than the sun, giving off light to the world."

"I wish I could've known that Regina." Emma murmured softly.

"Me too. She saved my life, but everything spiraled downhill from there, and I never saw that Regina again."

"She shouldn't have been forced to be the queen." Emma said, pushing on ahead at the sound of laughter. Snow hurried after her, but the blonde froze at the edge of the trees. Regina was wearing a purple bikini, smiling brightly as she splashed water at Zelena, wearing a green bathing suit. Belle was in a bright yellow one and ran and jumped onto Zelena's back, sending them both into the water. Lily picked up Regina and threw her into the middle of the river, only to be tackled by Merida and Ruby. Mulan shook her head with a laugh as she walked along the water's edge, carrying a basket, collecting stones from the sand. The others eventually joined in the task, Zelena and Ruby being the tallest, waded into the middle of the river, while the others stayed in the shallows, collecting stones and passing them to Mulan to fill her basket.

"What are they doing?" Snow asked. "I think we should tell Charming and Neal."

"Maybe we should just ask them." Emma stepped boldly out of the bushes, her mother staying at her heels, and approached the group of women. Each one glanced in their direction, but ultimately returned to the task at hand.

"Hello Emma." Belle was the first to greet them, stepping onto the dry bank and flicking her wet hair out of her face.

"Hey guys. What are you up to?"

"Just collecting rocks." Belle shrugged. "You guys walking the trails?"

"Yeah. Just uh...enjoying the day." Her eyes fell upon Regina, dextrous fingers easily and rapidly picking out stones out of the water and tossing them over her shoulder. Merida was behind her, making a game of catching them. The queen paused to flex her hand and to give the young redhead a break as she took her armful of river rocks over to Mulan.

"So are we." Belle smiled.

"Belle." Zelena called, jerking her head sideways. Belle turned around and walked towards her to take the rocks out of her hands and carry them back to their collection basket. The witch stepped onto dry land and ran her hands through her hair.

"You guys need some help?" Emma asked. "What are the rocks for?"

"We have it under control, thank you Miss Swan. And they're for carving." Regina said as she joined her sister. "Rocks are simple materials, easily malleable and abundant." She held up a stone and placed it in Emma's hand. It was smooth and dark brown. "We're going to make carving tools out of them."

Lily came to her side and looked at Emma. "Do you know if there has been any tree cutting lately?"

"Um, yeah. In the north woods. Why?"

"We need a tree stump." Lily replied. "Merida, come with me to get the stump." She called. Merida immediately shifted and ran towards them. Lily shifted as well and both of them quickly disappeared into the forest.

"Tree stump? What exactly are you building?" Snow asked.

"A den." Regina replied. "Do we have enough, Mulan?" The warrior nodded and Regina gave a low whistle. Ruby raised her head and started to make her way back to shore.

"Where is the den?" Snow continued to probe.

"A special place of ours."

"Let's head back, guys." Ruby commanded, shifting forms. The others followed suit and Regina turned to do the same.

"Regina." The queen paused to look back at Emma. "Can I talk to you, later? Please?" Regina nodded. "Meet me at the old Toll Bridge." Regina nodded again before shifting and racing off with the rest of her pack.

"Why are you meeting Regina?" Snow asked.

"Because I need to talk to her."

"About what?"

"It's none of your business." Emma sighed, turning to leave.

"What do you mean? Emma, what's going on?"

"I'm in love with Regina." Emma said.

"What?" Snow had the most horrified look on her face. More than anything, it just annoyed Emma, so she kept walking. She wasn't ashamed of her feelings for the queen, but she wished she could've at least had the chance to be with Regina. She waited impatiently for night to come. Having ignored her family for the rest of the afternoon, she felt a little better without the accusations and hateful slurs thrown at Regina for _bewitching_ and _corrupting_ their daughter. Still, Emma waited. The shadows nearby moved and a great black wolf stepped out of the forest and walked up the bridge towards her. Regina shifted back into a human, wearing jeans and a long gray shirt.

"Can I help you, Miss Swan?"

Emma took a deep breath. "I miss you."

"Emma-"

"I'm tired of pretending that I'm okay with where I am in life. I love you, Regina, and I'm not going to stop. But I just want you to be in my life. Things aren't as dark when you are around. Even when we fought, even when you hated me. I would rather you cuss me out everyday and call me nothing, than have you do nothing or not have you around at all. Please, I just want-"

"To be happy." Regina smirked slightly. "Believe me, I know the feeling."

Emma sighed and leaned against the bridge. "I'm not asking to be a part of the pack. Ruby would probably bite my head off-"

"Emma, it's not that she hates you, or doesn't like you. She just sees you as a threat because you're in love with me. Ruby is still there and she's still your friend."

"How's she doing with the whole darkness thing?"

"Much better than I ever imagined. She stays occupied." Regina said, looking out over the water. "I can talk to the others. Everyone deserves a place where they can feel accepted despite any and every one of their flaws. Loving someone shouldn't be seen as a flaw." She looked back at Emma. "Sometimes I feel as though your parents see you more as an object for goodness, a hero and a Savior, than an actual person."

"They don't see me as a person. As soon I do something they don't like, they just blow up about it."

"I'm sorry. I can't help but feel partially responsible for that." Regina smirked.

Emma grinned. "Because you are."

Regina chuckled deeply. "We'll see, Miss Swan. Things can always change. You have to take the first step though, just like I did."

"Henry hates me now."

"He doesn't hate you, but he doesn't understand. And I'm the sure the heroes are filling his head with nonsense. Give him time. Give _**them**_ time, and they'll realize that they have to accept things the way they are. Have you seen Tink lately?"

"Looking for another addition to your pack?" Emma asked.

"She's one of my best friends. She and Zelena would make good friends in my opinion. Then they'd turn everything green." She smiled, and Emma couldn't imagine a better scene before her. Regina, being showered with moonlight and smiling. No wonder they wanted to escape into the darkness of the night. Darkness had its own beauty.

"If I see her, I'll send her your way." Emma nodded. "I suppose you want to get back to building your den."

"Yep, we still have a lot to do. Perhaps, one day you could see it."

"If the rest of the pack doesn't try to kill me."

"Oh relax, you'll be with me, I'm the alpha's mate." Regina paused and looked around, suddenly feeling like they were being watched. There was a strange stirring in her magic. "Do you feel that?"

"Yeah. Something's happening." Emma looked up at the sky. There was a bright flash of light that spread across the heavens, creating a dome around Storybrooke before dispersing as suddenly as it had come. "What was that?"

"I don't know. Someone must've cast a spell." Regina said. Suddenly the forest became alive with wolf howls. Regina quickly shifted to answer and shifted back. She looked at a tensed Emma and smirked. "Relax, they're just worried." Ruby was leading the charge, bursting out of the forest with Belle and Zelena hot on her heels. Merida, Mulan and Lily came from the opposite direction. They shifted back and Ruby immediately came to inspect Regina. "I'm fine. Ruby relax."

"What was that in the sky?"

"I don't know."

Ruby looked up at Emma. "This is who you sneak off in the middle of the night to meet?" She growled, eyes glowing.

"Ruby." Regina stepped in front of her, her eyes glowing as well. "Don't touch her."

"Why not?"

"Because I said so." Regina growled.

Ruby arched an eyebrow and Regina bit her lip to keep from attacking the she-wolf. At night, when the darkness was strong in her, Ruby was almost like a wild goddess, a terrible and beautiful wonder that made Regina remind herself that that wolf was hers. she could have Ruby anytime she wanted. "Fine." Ruby said eventually. She looked at Emma. "The queen has spared your life. Count yourself lucky, Savior." She stepped back and Regina relaxed.

"It's not what you think, Ruby." Emma said.

"I know what it is." Ruby replied over her shoulder. She nodded to the others and they shifted and took off again. "We're gonna check the border, Gina, and make sure everything is okay."

Regina nodded. "Wanna bet they're going to blame us for this." Ruby gave her a funny look that made her frown. "What?"

"Why do you smell like that?"

"Smell like what?"

"Something is wrong with you." Ruby tilted her head, sniffing the air.

"I'm fine, Ruby, I swear." Regina looked down at herself before looking at Emma. "Do I look different to you?"

"Yes." Emma replied. "Act different too."

"That's not what I meant."

"I'll just ask Granny tomorrow when we go in for work." Ruby snorted, looking at her as though trying to figure out what was making her different.

"If we can go in." Regina muttered.

"I'll go see if I can find out what's going on and then I'll call you." Emma said. Regina nodded. The blonde glanced at Ruby as she walked back to town. Everything was quiet until she got to the apartment where a group of people were demanding answers from their prince and princess. "Everyone!" She yelled at the top of her lungs, gaining their attention. "whatever was in the sky is gone. It has no damage to anyone or anything." Not that she knew of. "You can all go home and if we find out anymore information, you'll all be the first to know." They seemed to pacify them for them now.

"Regina did this, didn't she?" Charming demanded as she stepped into the house.

"No, I was with her."

"So Zelena then. Or Lily."

"None of them did anything!" she snapped, closing the door. "Where's Henry?"

"Upstairs, asleep."

"Good, I don't want him to hear this." she took her father's arm and lead him over to the kitchen area where Snow was standing. "Both of you are acting like judgemental hypocritical bastards." she said softly.

"Emma!" Snow exclaimed.

"How can you say that after everything Regina has done?" Charming asked.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Because Regina isn't the Evil Queen anymore. She doesn't care about us. she doesn't give us a damn about us or this town. She nor any of them have a reason to do anything to this town. That is why they left in the first place, because you can't see past their faults and who they used to be. You expect them to be picture perfect citizens, but look who stole a baby from their mother and banished them to another world."

"We talked about tha-" Snow cut in, but she was effectively cut off by Emma.

"You can't justify that!" The blonde snapped. "Nothing you have said or done justifies your actions other than you being selfish and treating me like some creature of goodness that you can create. Look at me. Listen to me. Regina and her pack had nothing to do with this. I don't know about you, but I'm gonna find out what's going on and make sure it isn't a threat. You're welcome to do the same, but if you want to keep your heads, I suggest you leave Regina and the others alone." She checked on Henry and left the apartment again to get a room at Granny's B&B. She called Regina as she got settled.

"The town line is locked. No one can leave." Regina said.

"What?"

"We tried. Ruby can't even break through. All of us combined ruptured it, but it came back up full strength as soon as we stopped."

Emma sighed. "Then what do we do?"

"I don't know, Sheriff." came the amused chuckle. "It's still your town. That's your job."

"Can't I bring in a few consultants?"

"I'll see what I can do. Be at the town line tomorrow at 12. Maybe your magic will be enough to break the barrier."

"Got it. Thanks, Regina."

"Of course, you idiot."

Emma laughed to herself as she hung up the phone. Even after they way they'd treated Regina, it amazed her how she all had to do was call the woman and she was there to the rescue. She was more of a hero than anyone Emma had ever known. It was the queen who sweetened her dreams that night and brightened her day as soon as she spotted the woman standing next to the town line, wearing light jeans and a simple long sleeved dark purple shirt. Her hair was in a ponytail draped over her shoulder and she wore no shoes. Ruby was pacing next to her in jean shorts and red sports bra. Zelena was sitting cross legged on the ground in a little emerald green dress while Belle braided flowers into her hair. Lily was watching with an amused smirk, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved brown crop top.

"You are tarnishing my reputation, dear." Zelena grumbled as Emma exited the car.

"Oh come on, if you didn't like it, you wouldn't let me do it in the first place, now would you?" Belle retorted.

Zelena rolled her eyes. "I am the Wicked Witch, not the Dandelion."

"That reminds me, I got you a movie for movie night tonight."

"What is it?"

"You'll see." Belle smirked, pulling out all of the flowers and smoothing down the witch's hair. Zelena stood up and dusted off her backside and turned around to be presented with a green rose. "For the Wicked Witch. Green has its own beauty too."

Zelena smiled. "Thank you, Little Belle."

Emma turned to Regina and walked over. "You guys ready?"

"Yes."

"Where's Mulan and Merida?"

"Collecting Tink at the moment. They should be done soon. So should we. Shall we begin?"

"We shall." Emma smiled. Despite Ruby's cautious look at her, she couldn't help but feel happy about being the queen's presence again. It made her stomach flutter and her heart pound with excitement. The magic users took their places and they were all set to begin when a familiar red truck pulled up. "Son of a bitch."

"Who invited the baby snatchers?" Lily asked emotionlessly, eyes glowing momentarily.

"Want to put them to sleep?" Ruby asked Regina.

"All of your power needs to be concentrated on the wall. Belle, could you-"

"On it." Belle skipped over to the Charmings as they exited the car, pulled out a little vial and splashed them both in the face with it. They hit the ground a second later, sound asleep.

"Now we can begin." Regina smirked, nodding to the others. They once again took their places and unleashed their magic at the barrier. It rippled and shook and for a moment, completely dissolved. Then it came back again with full force, enough to blast them off their feet. "Well that didn't work."

"We're stuck in Storybrooke again?" Emma asked.

"It's not any of you people leave anyway." Lily said, getting back to her feet and quickly helping up the rest of her pack. "Maybe Mom's magic might break it."

"You never wake a hibernating dragon, dear." Regina smirked. "She would probably set us both on fire."

"Then what do we do?"

"Nothing for now. I guess we just continue on as before." The queen looked at Emma. "I suppose you could tell the town whatever you wanted. I don't really have any solutions right now."

"I guess it's fine for now." Emma sighed. "No one's hurt or anything and nothing was damaged. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Good, we have to get to work." Ruby cut in.

/

Ruby watched her new family waitressing tables in the family diner. A smile touched her lips at how far she'd come from the lonely werewolf to the leader of a powerful pack. But something was constantly pressing on her mind. She walked into the kitchen where Granny was hard at work. "Granny, do me a favor."

"Such as? I'm a little busy, pup."

"I know, just walk outside and tell me if you smell anything weird. Please."

Granny sighed and handed her a spatula. "Flip them burgers. I'll be back in a second." Ruby did as instructed, fixing the new orders and sending them out until her grandmother returned with a prognosis. Granny finally returned, nose twitching.

"It's Regina, isn't it? Something's wrong with Regina."

"Nothing's wrong, but something **has** changed. Not just with her either, with Zelena and Belle too."

"What is it? Do you know? Are they sick?"

"They're pregnant."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	6. Chapter 6

The next thing that was heard was a loud crash. Granny stepped out and looked at Regina. "Come get her."

Regina and Zelena rushed into the kitchen and helped Ruby into the back room, laying her on a small couch. Regina felt of her forehead. "What happened?"

"She feinted." Granny called from the kitchen.

"From what?"

"She found out you're pregnant."

Regina and Zelena both frowned in unison. "Who's pregnant?!"

"Both of you."

/

"Why is everyone feinting?" Belle demanded as Lily laid Regina and Zelena out on the floor and stepped around them to get back to the door.

"Granny said Regina and Zelena are pregnant." Lily supplied.

"And you." Granny added as she walked past again.

"What? I'm pregnant?" Belle asked.

"You're not going to feint too, are you?" Lily smirked.

"Maybe."

"How did all of you get pregnant anyway? I mean, Regina, I understand. But you and Zelena, I thought you two had a thing."

"I don't know." Belle said, running a hand frantically through her hair.

"Relax, Belles. You got us now, we'll help all three of you." Lily smiled, pulling her hand down. "Don't worry. I'll go tell the others. They're going to be excited." She left the room and Belle slowly walked back out to the dining area and sat down.

"Belle? You alright?" Emma asked as she walked past, giving the gentle brunette a concerned look.

"I'm pregnant."

"What?" Emma immediately sat down. "Is that why Ruby feinted?"

"I'm not the only one." Belle sighed.

"How is that possible?" She lowered her voice, glancing around at the the other patrons. "Is it Gold?"

"No! Of course not. It has to be Zelena."

"Zelena? She's a girl."

"Woman." The librarian corrected. "And magic can do many things. Plenty of same sex couples have had children in the Enchanted Forest. We've only had sex once though."

"It only takes once, my friend. Believe me." Emma smirked. "Who else is pregnant? Is it Regina? Is that why Ruby said she smelled differently?"

"Yes, and Zelena."

"Whoa. Wow. Congratulations then."

Belle nodded absently. "Thank you. I'm a little confused as to what to do now."

"Well, you can call me if you ever need anything. And I'm sure Regina knows what to do. Just ask her."

"I would if she wasn't unconscious. She and Zelena feinted too."

"Damn. You need help getting them home?"

"No, Lily can just teleport us there. We have to finish the shift here. But thanks anyway, Emma." Belle stood up go finish her shift behind the register and Emma stood up to head outside, passing Merida and Mulan as they rushed into the diner. She'd call later and offer her congratulations.

/

"Pregnant. I am pregnant. How did this happen?" Zelena asked, pacing beneath Regina's tree where they'd reassembled after their shift had ended. Dusk was just beginning to fall over the small town, bathing them in golden light. Regina had used magic to carve off the top of the top of the mountain and plant her tree at the top. It was larger than ever and overflowing with fruit.

"Didn't you and Belle have sex?" Regina asked.

"Well yes, but you and Ruby had sex and only you got pregnant."

"Maybe there's too much darkness to make room for a child." Ruby said softly, earning a kiss from Regina.

"I'm sure that's not it."

"I don't really see what the problem is." Lily cut in. "You guys have us. Im sure the pregnancy will go fine."

"Ruby only slept with me, right?" Regina asked, looking around at all of them.

"Of course, Regina. Who else would I want but you?" Ruby said.

"Good. I thought I would have to kill someone."

"As if you could." Zelena scoffed.

"Is that a challenge, Witch,?"

"You're damn right it is."

"No magic. Conjured weapons only." Regina smirked, stepping forward.

"How the hell did we go from pregnancies to fighting each other?" Ruby asked. Merida and Mulan shrugged.

As far as Regina knew, Zelena never used weapons. So she assumed this would be a sure thing. But when Zelena conjured a spear and small shield, as well as greaves for her legs, she knew she was screwed. She conjured a pair of black broadswords.

Ruby sighed as her phone rang and answered it. "What can I do for you, Miss Swan?"

"I was trying to call Regina, to tell her congratulations. She's not answering the phone."

"She's busy at the moment trying not to get speared by Zelena." Ruby looked up as Regina ducked the spear and narrowly avoided getting knocked off her feet as Zelena swung low to trip her. She started fighting back hard, using her blades in a wicked dance that forced Zelena back.

"What?"

"They're sparring or something. I swear they have the shortest attention spans I've ever seen."

"We're still talking about Regina, right? Zelena I can understand."

"Yep. They're so weird. Anyways, thank you, I'll be sure to pass along the message."

"Okay."

Ruby clicked end call and looked up again as Zelena bashed Regina hard and knocked her down, pointing her spear at her throat. "I win, Baby Sister." She extended her hand and helped Regina to her feet.

"Care to spar with me?" Mulan stepped forward and Zelena said a quick spell, magically replenishing herself.

"Let's go, Mushu."

Ruby smiled, watching as each one of her pack sparred with one another. They were a true force to be reckoned with. After a break, Zelena took a seat next to Regina and Merida sparred with Mulan. Then the sisters retook their places. Zelena switched out her spear for a giant battle axe while Regina conjured a whip and a dagger. Not weapons that normally complemented each other, but still made for a pretty good match, which Regina won. Then Lily stepped up against Ruby herself, wielding a staff against the Dark Wolf's sword. She'd never seen Maleficent use hers for anything other than firing magical bolts, so it was a pleasant surprise for everyone when Lily started to dish out her mother's expertise using the weapon. There were times when even Ruby was caught off guard and she had to push the dragon back with brute strength. Needless to say, the sun had gone down when the pack trudged to their bathrooms and soaked themselves to ease the pain of their battles. Regina afterwards cooked dinner, grilled fish with sauteed vegetables. They ate together in the kitchen of the house before making their way into the living room, a large and beautifully room in the mountain that had been carved out and filled with chairs and pillows and carpets and even flat screens magically inserted on the walls. In the very center of the floor there was a hole that was filled with dragon fire, providing heat and warmth and the tree stump that Lily had collected had been carved out and sliced into four pieces to place around the hole as a sort of firepit. Along the walls, great images had been carved by each member of the pack. Regina had drawn a crown, Ruby drew a wolf, Belle drew a bookshelf and Zelena drew a witch on a broomstick. Lily and Merida carved a giant dragon and a giant clydesdale that covered two whole walls alone. Rather than carve a picture, Mulan had sculpted a stone chinese dragon to hang on the ceiling. Tink was working currently working on her picture of a fairy. The pack found them a places to lay down and Belle popped in the movie.

"The Wizard of Oz? Really?" Zelena asked as the bookworm pressed play and cuddled up with her and Lily.

"Yep."

Later that night, Regina and Ruby went to the grocery store to pick up some more herb packets for her and Zelena's garden. "I can't believe it." Regina said as they walked along the quiet street heading back to the forest. "I'm supposed to be barren. And now I get to have my own child." She looked up at Ruby. "Because of you."

Ruby shrugged. "I hadn't meant to do it, Regina, I swear."

"It's okay. I've always wanted my own child."

"So...you're happy?" Ruby asked uncertainly.

"Aren't you?"

"More than I can describe." The she-wolf kissed the top of Regina's head. "I can't imagine a more perfect thing than starting a family with you, Regina."

Regina found herself blushing as they hand in hand. Everything felt so perfect. Then she heard him calling her name. She sighed and Ruby instinctively put an arm around her waist and pulled her close as Robin caught up to them. "Can I help you, ?"

Robin scoffed at her tone. "Oh do stop it, Regina. I know you better than that." He looked almost confusingly at Ruby pressing herself so close to Regina, but he returned his full attention to the queen. "So...you're pregnant?"

"Apparently. We're getting it confirmed tomorrow with the doctor. Why?"

"It isn't yours, so don't even think about it." Ruby growled.

"Then whose is it?"

"Robin, you cannot possibly believe this is your child. I haven't slept with you in months. You think you're the only person in this town I would bed?"

"Other than me, he better fucking be." Ruby hissed.

Regina purred at her words. She liked that Ruby was so possessive and protective of her. It showed that she cared and Regina liked being cared for and cared about. "Robin, continue on your way. The baby is Ruby's. It's obviously not yours."

"She is the one you broke us up for?" He glanced at Ruby, whose eyes were glowing.

"We never should've been together."

"We're soulmates."

"You're **married**. Good bye, Robin." Regina pulled a growling Ruby away, laughing when the younger woman started kissing and nuzzling her neck, as though trying to make it clear to Robin that Regina was completely and utterly over him.

"Come with me. There's something I've really wanted to do with you." Ruby took her hand and lead her into her woods.

"Tonight's a full moon." Regina commented as they walked, feeling her magic stir and almost boil.

"Precisely." Ruby suddenly shifted and took off. Regina followed in pursuit. They chased each other beneath the light of the moon, simply enjoying being together. Regina felt the same rush of elation that she experienced that first night that Ruby had found her in the woods, pouring over her predicament in life. The she-wolf had taken that predicament shredded it, and on the remains, gave Regina a whole new purpose to life. She gave Regina a new life. With Ruby, with her pack, in the universe they'd built, she almost forgot about Storybrooke. The rest of the world could fall away and she wouldn't even had cared. Ruby eventually lead her to a large meadow, bathed in moonlight. Upon a small hill, she spotted a blanket and candles and a little basket. "What do you think?"

Regina shifted back as they drew near and smiled at the beautiful setting. "What's this for, Ruby?"

Ruby shifted back as well. "Well, now that you're carrying a child, I have to make sure you eat well." She shrugged. "And I also wanted to…" She trailed off and Regina turned to look at her with concern, not quite understanding why Ruby would be nervous about telling her something. "I'm in love with you, Regina. I cannot imagine being with anyone else. With you, I feel complete… better than I ever have before. You chase away the darkness. You shine with the light of the moon. And I feel so honored to be with you. That's why, tonight, I wanted to give myself to you… beneath the light of the full moon. I wanted to make love to you, but I also wanted to…" Ruby gulped hard and Regina tilted her head, waiting patiently for her to continue, even though she wanted to shove the werewolf on the ground and take her right there. "I wanted to… have you mark me, bond with me. I want to be yours. Completely."

"I'm not a full blooded werewolf. I wouldn't begin to know how to do that." Regina said. "But I would like to." She added quickly. "I want to be yours, Ruby. You've given me so much. I don't have anything to give you other than myself."

"That's all I want." Ruby smiled. "Do you trust me?"

"Absolutely."

"It's going to hurt."

"I'm not surprised."

Ruby immediately kissed her, easily lifting her into the air and depositing her onto the blanket. The she-wolf took her time, slowly removing Regina's clothing, slowly driving her mad with lust. Regina was extremely frustrated by the time she was fully naked and Ruby had had enough of teasing her.

"I'm going to kill you." Regina hissed as Ruby tied her wrist above her head.

"Just relax, Gina. Almost there."

The queen was aching to be touched and taken. She squirmed, watching Ruby magically get rid of her own clothes before capturing Regina's lips on hers. "Ruby." She whined. Ruby chuckled in reply. It would take another two hours of agony, of bringing Regina to the edge many times but refusing to let her have her release. She would've punched Ruby if she could. The moon was directly overhead when Ruby kissed her again.

"Are you sure about this, baby?"

"Yes. Touch me, please."

Ruby's eyes glowed gold and Regina felt her own glow in response to the primal look in her mate's eyes. "Do you really want this? There is no going back."

"Why would I want to go back?" Regina asked.

Ruby smiled, revealing elongated canines. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Ruby took a deep breath before savagely biting Regina on the neck. It was like her blood was replaced with hot lava and Regina screamed, straining against her restraints. She tried to free herself with magic, but Ruby had been prepared for that. There was nothing she could do. Hot tears stung her skin from Ruby's eyes as she cried for the pain she was causing her mate. Regina grit her teeth against it and forced herself to calm down. Then, just as suddenly as the pain had come, it was gone, replaced by the sweetest pleasure Regina had ever known, finally giving her the release she so desperately sought. Her vision started to blacken and she tried to call to Ruby. The she-wolf wouldn't have responded anyway. Her jaws were still firmly closed around Regina's neck, and she had no intention on releasing the queen anytime soon. Slowly, Regina blacked out.

/

/

/

When Regina awoke, the sun was just rising in the sky. She smiled in amazement at how the world seemed to glow so much brighter now. There was nothing but beauty as far as the eye could see. Everything she would normally feel as a wolf, she could feel as a human now. She was a real werewolf now. Ruby was curled up next to her, her chin still stained with Regina's blood. Regina cleaned them both up with a wave of her hand and conjured a mirror so she could examine her neck. She expected giant teeth marks, but instead found what looked like a tattoo of the symbol of the moon. But she knew it went far deeper than the skin, more permanent than any tattoo could ever be.

"Good morning." Ruby's eyes opened after a moment and she smiled up at Regina. "A naked queen is a sight I will never get tired of waking up to." Regina answered by kissing her mate on the lips, all over her face and chest and anywhere she could get. Ruby laughed and submitted to the display of affection. "Check this out." She gently stroked Regina's on her neck and Regina nearly orgasmed again as the feather light touch sent a jolt through her whole body. "Cool, huh."

Regina moved Ruby's hair and whined when she didn't appear to have a mark. "You said you wanted **me** to mark you."

"Which you couldn't do until I changed you. We can do it the next full moon."

"We still have one more night of Wolf's Time. We can do it tonight!" Regina said excitedly. "Then you can be all mine." She grinned.

"I am already yours."

"I want it to be official."

Ruby sighed, laying on her back. "Fine. If you must."

"I must!" Regina said earnestly. There was a sort of relaxed feeling to the werewolf now that she'd never seen before. "You seem content."

Ruby sat up, kissing her neck and pulled her down on top of her. "I am. You are mine now, so I no longer need to worry and my wolf no longer feels the need to possess you all the time."

"That doesn't mean you'll stop, does it?" Regina gasped.

"Only if you don't want me to."

"Never." Regina smirked. The pair didn't even leave the meadow that day. They spent it Running and hunting and having sex. When night came, Regina marked Ruby as well and the pair were content as they walked back to the den. "Now...you're mine." Regina said. She paused when she looked down at the floor. The stone had been turned bright yellow and painted to look like bricks. "Oh hell no. Zelena! We are not having a fucking yellow brick road in our den!"

"Why not?!" Zelena yelled from somewhere around the corner.

Ruby grinned as Regina marched to go give Zelena a piece of her mind. She couldn't help the flutter of happiness in her chest. She was going to be a mom, with the greatest woman in the world. She was now tied to Regina in a way she could've only dreamed. Regina was hers now and soon their child would join them as well. Not too bad for a Dark Wolf.

/

/

/

Read and Review please!


	7. Chapter 7

Emma didn't see any of the pack for a couple weeks and she assumed they were just preparing for the pregnancies and stuff. She was bored out of her mind listening to her parents try and lecture her about her affections for Regina and spurring Neal's advances. Her only reprieve was talking to Regina on the phone or spending time with Henry, but even he was starting to take after his father. She barely saw her son nowadays and she didn't really understand because Neal was a complete and utter jackass. But Henry loved his father. She was sitting in her office, contemplating leaving and going for lunch at Granny's, when the door opened and Regina walked in. The sight of Regina in nothing more than a bikini and a skirt made her mouth water.

"Can I help you?" Neal asked. Charming had wanted to give him a job at the station, despite his daughter's wishes and the fact that she was the actual sheriff, a title that he seemed to think they shared.

Regina didn't even acknowledge the man's presence as she walked into the office and closed the door and blinds and sat on Emma's desk, looking at her with a grin. "How would you like to have a little fun?"

"Fun and you usually don't go together unless someone is getting hurt."

Regina scoffed. "I wish, but Ruby says I need to work on using my words instead of actions. I nearly threw Zelena off a mountain the other day and she was pretty upset."

"Words instead of actions? Has she met you?" Emma asked with a smirk.

"I know right. But anyways, we're having a party. You've been invited."

"Really? At the den?"

"At the den.." Regina smiled. "What do you say?"

"I don't know, I am the sheriff. I can't just take days off. And Henry's going to be getting home from school soon."

"Just leave everything to dumb and dumber. They'll be fine without the Savior for a day, and besides, you need a break from the idiots calling you all the time. Henry will be perfectly fine. They're morons but they'll take care of him. Please?"

"Ruby agreed to this?" Emma asked, not in the mood to fight the werewolf on this.

"She doesn't care about competition anymore. She marked me and I'm pregnant with her baby. Neither one of us is going anywhere, not if I have anything to say about it. Come on." The brunette bounced up and down excitedly. "I want you to see it. Please?"

"I...suppose I can't say no to the queen."

"Great!" The wall was suddenly blown out as the queen let out a shriek of excitement, only to nearly dive into Emma's lap in surprise. "Damn it."

"What the hell?" Emma said, holding a hand over her chest as Regina repaired the wall. "Why did you do that?"

"My magic's been a little slippery ever since I found out I was pregnant. The wall thing's been happening a lot. Sorry about that." Regina smiled as she got out of her lap and skipped out the door.

Emma, still recovering from her heart attack, got slowly to follow. "I'm signing out for the day." She announced to the boys.

"Signing out?" Charming said. "We just started two hours ago."

"Yeah well, I think I deserve some vacation time." Emma replied, grabbing her jacket and going outside to find Regina waiting impatiently on the sidewalk. She waved her hands and poofed them away to some place in the forest.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, but, where are we exactly?" Emma asked, following Regina into the woods.

"The den's up ahead." Regina said, breaking through the line of trees to reveal a mangrove swamp with water so clear she could see right to the bottom. The queen waded right in and changed Emma's clothes so she could continue following. "Just be glad Ruby didn't make you run like she did the rest of us. It's so much fun though. We might even Run tonight, you know if the pack likes you enough." She smirked over her shoulder.

"Thought you guys would hate me."

"Because of your idiot parents?" Regina scoffed. "We're not our parents, Emma. Not even close." They walked in silence, or near silence as Emma couldn't help but pant as they kept trekking through the swamp. Regina was hardly affected by it, but she slowed her pace so Emma wouldn't be bothered too much. At least the trees provided more than enough shade and it was a nice warm day instead of the usual freezing temperature.

"This is crazy. You guys go back and forth between here and the town every day?" Emma said.

"No, not every day, but when we do, we usually run. It's more fun than just poofing there."

"You said poofing. You nearly rolled your eyes out of your head when I said that during a magic lesson." Emma giggled.

Regina rolled her eyes. "Ruby has it stuck in my head. Okay, we're here."

Emma's jaw dropped at seeing the great mansion crammed into the front of the mountain with a waterfall coming out of the bottom and pouring into a great lagoon. Above it, Regina's tree sat like a tall crown atop the mountain's head and the face of the mountain itself had been carved with swirling designs. Much of the surrounding forest had been combed away to create what looked like some kind of barn, a dock, and just some more space. Lily let out a wild call as she slid down from a zipline attached to the top of the mountain and somewhere off in the forest. She landed in the water with a loud splash. Mulan threw herself off the top of the mountain itself and splashed nearly on top of her.

"The garden and the fishery is around back and everything else is inside. I'll give you a tour. Come on, then we can join in the fun." Regina smiled, leading her to the side of the mountain where a barely present trail was situated, leading up the side of the great rock. The brunette easily picked her way upwards and finally they came to a black stone door which was pushed open easily and Emma sighed as she stepped into the cool interior. The walls were lit with wall sconces and the floor was carpeted. At one point the carpet turned into yellow bricks.

"Yellow brick road?" Emma smirked.

"I couldn't Zelena to get rid of the damn things." Regina sighed. They passed a pottery room, a living room that had like 6 plasma screen tvs on the wall and a new game system, a library, where Belle and Zelena were arguing over something, but Regina didn't wait long enough to hear what it was about. They climbed higher until they entered the kitchen of the mansion where Regina checked her food that was currently cooking and moved on to the other side of the house where another door had been added right into the wall, leading to another room, a training room of sorts. Weapons hung from the walls, there were targets lining one wall and dummies on the other. Ruby was already there, hacking away at one dummy while Merida was not far away, firing arrows rapidly at a target, each one hitting the bullseye straight through the arrow before it.

"Whoa. You guys used the entire mountain, didn't you?"

"Yep." Regina smiled proudly and called Ruby. The Dark Wolf spun, dealing a vicious blow and knocking the head off the dummy. She looked over her shoulder and smiled.

"Welcome to the lair of the Dark Wolf, Emma. Do you like?" She asked, magically hanging her sword on the wall. She approached Regina and made sure to touch her stomach with one hand before kissing her forehead.

"It's absolutely amazing." Emma said. "I can't believe you guys did all this."

"Most of it was without magic too." Ruby added. "It's good to see you. You look winded." She frowned in concern. "Did Regina make you walk all the way here?"

"No, just from the mangrove swamp." Regina scoffed, pushing her away. "I'll be right back, I need to check the food again."

Ruby dipped her head as her mate departed and smiled at Emma. "You okay?"

"I'm good. Clearly I'm not in as good a shape as I thought." Emma said, liking that Ruby was now more friendly to her. Marking Regina must've calmed her down. She was happy for them, but she was a little bummed that Regina hadn't chosen her. Still, at least they were willing to be friends. "This is where you guys always go?"

"Yep. Come on." Ruby lead her through more winding tunnels that slowly started to ascend until she opened a door and Emma was nearly blinded by sunlight. Stepping out onto soft grass, she spotted Regina's tree not far away, now nearly 3 times its normal size and overflowing with fruit. Tink was collecting the apples. Baskets were placed all over the ground. She waved her hands and they plopped right from the branches where they needed to be. She headed back inside the mountain and the baskets floated behind her. From this vantage point, Emma could see for miles in all directions. Storybrooke looked like a small dot in the distance, surrounded by a vast forest. "Regina expanded the borders a bit. Mostly so I could hunt without disturbing the town. But yeah." She nodded to behind them. More of the forest had been carved away to make room for a breathtaking garden with fruits and vegetables of every kind. Not far away on the river, the trees had been used to make a fishery stretching across the width of the water. "Belle's are resident fisher. I don't how she does it. Zelena tends to the garden. Tink and Regina take care of the tree, although Regina mostly cooks everything. Merida gathers resources from the woods. Mulan is sorta like the blacksmith and Lily is our big bad dragon. She helps me hunt. Everyone sorta has their own little niche."

"You guys have a nice place here. But are you really trying to completely separate yourselves from the town?"

"It's not like we're giving up anything. Most of us have magic so we can just poof up whatever we need. We have lights, TVs, master bathrooms, fully functional. I mean, besides a bunch of prejudices and judgemental people, what are we really leaving behind?" Ruby asked.

"I see your point."

"For many of us, this was our only option. The heroes, not really including you, want us to change. They claim to want us to be the best version of ourselves, the good versions. They claim to want us to be able to be ourselves, but they just want a version **they like**. I don't see anything wrong with any of us."

"You came here for freedom. I completely understand that." Emma sighed. "Kinda wish I could join you. Being the Savior...isn't as exciting as it used to be."

"The Savior still has the choice of being who she wants to be." Ruby said. "You can still be the Savior and still be Emma. If you can't be Emma, and will only be accepted as the Savior, then are you really being yourself or are you playing a role. Just like Regina."

"I wish we never told her she couldn't use magic. She didn't deserve that. She nearly died because of it."

"True." Ruby shrugged. "But because of you she never had to feel the weight of this burden, and I thank you for that. There is enough that already weighs her down."

"Both of you are welcome."

"So...how are things?"

"Terrible." Emma rolled her eyes. "Neal is such an ass. I hate his guts, but Henry loves him. I barely see my own son anymore. My parents aren't any better. It's just...a mess, and I don't know what to do."

"Be a wolf." Ruby smirked. "Take charge. After all, you are Henry's legal guardian. Neal really is an ass, and your parents are idiots. No offense."

"None taken." Emma smiled.

"That settles it then. Tonight….you're Running with us."

"Running? What-"

"Not buts. It's gonna be fun."

"I'm not a part of the pack though."

"No, you're not, but who says you can't be one day. It's not like we all had to do some big test to get in. The pack is only one thing: a family. It's a bond. You didn't grown up as a princess in the Enchanted Forest. You grew up fighting every step of the way. Snow tried to take the darkness out of you, but darkness doesn't stay away forever. Light can't exist without darkness and more than likely, you've gained back what you lost over the years, Car Thief." Emma smirked. "Come on, I owe Regina anyway."

"Why?"

"Because I acted like a fool before. I was far too overprotective of her."

"She liked it." Emma scoffed.

"I know she did, but she wants to pretend like she didn't, so play along."

Emma nodded. She spent the whole day with the pack, playing in the lagoon, splashing around with the other women and enjoying herself for the first time in years. As the sun set, they went back inside to eat Regina's amazing stew and played video games, all of which turned into screaming death matches, especially between Lily and Merida, who got way too into the games. By the time night fell, the pack was inching to get going. She had no idea what was going to happen, so she tried to stay near Regina and see.

"Ladies." Ruby said as they gathered in front of the lagoon. "Tonight is a special night. Not only is it a full moon, the first night of Wolf's Time, but we have a newcomer with us. Miss Emma Swan." She smiled and motioned Emma forward. She obeyed, looking nervous as all eyes turned to her. "Tonight we're gonna show her just what it is to be truly free. To be wolves, to have a pack. Sisters, running at her side, beneath the moon's pale light. It is an honor." Ruby smirked and nodded to Regina.

"I'm assuming you don't know the shapeshifting spell." Regina said, stepping in front of her.

"Nope."

She sighed. "We really need to start giving you magic lessons again so we can hone this potential. But relax, you're as stiff as a board."

"What's going to happen?"

"I'm changing you into a wolf. Don't worry, you won't feel a thing." Regina assured her, waving her hands and making some gesture in the air. Emma was engulfed in reddish purple smoke and squished her eyes shut as the change occurred. "Emma, dear, you can open your eyes."

Emma obeyed, but was immediately assaulted with a thousand different sounds, smells and bright lights. She closed them again and coughed and sneezed, backing away and whimpering.

"Relax, Emma. It's okay. We're right here. You need to slow it down. Feel yourself. Feel the change." Regina slowly instructed. "Feel the power in your paws, your strong legs. Feel the dirt with your claws. Breathe deeply and slowly."

Everything slowly calmed down and Emma peeked out of one eye. A black wolf was sitting in front of her. She would recognize Regina's eyes anywhere. Not to mention the scar on her lip. Ruby was next to her, her fur so dark she was nearly black as well. The others surrounded her, wagging their tails and grinning. The forest was lit with moonlight and she could see...everything. "This is amazing." She tried to say, but it only came as a garbled bark. Regina touched her with her nose, casting another spell so she could talk to the others.

"Love the white fur, dearie." Zelena purred.

"She is lovely, isn't she?" Regina leaped to her feet. "Now try to move."

Emma stood up and took a few tentative steps forward. It was difficult using all four legs, but she spent quite a bit of time crawling around the floor as a child, so she assumed it was similar to that. After a while, she finally managed to get it down. Ruby howled, giving the command to head out. Emma fell into step between Lily and Tink as the pack melted into the forest. She felt a freedom that she never had before, a power surging with every step she took. She leaped in time with Lily, trying to match the older she-dragon's steps. Up ahead, Regina was doing flips off every tree she passed, and Zelena was dashing back and forth. She was realized it was less about actually running together and more about just playing and having fun. More about being free. She broke off from the others and put on a burst of speed before ducking down in the bushes. As soon as Ruby stepped across her path, she leaped out and jumped on her back, only to be quickly thrown to the ground.

"You dare touch the alpha?" Ruby snarled. Emma shrank back as the others came to see what the fuss was about. "How dare you?!" Ruby roared. She growled as she stepped forward and Emma closed her eyes, fearing the end. A wet tongue started slobbering her all over the face.

"Ugh! Ruby stop!" She laughed.

"Nope. This is for jumping on the alpha." She said between licks. Regina whimpered and the wolf quickly went to give her mate some attention. "Big baby."

"You don't have to be afraid, Emma." Tink assured her, nudging her back to her feet with her nose. "The night is all about fun."

"I got a stick!" Lily called, racing through them,

"Get it!" Belle yelled, dive bombing the dragon before she get any farther and taking it away from her. Regina snatched it, but Zelena grabbed the other end of it and they both growled, trying to pull away from the other. Merida suddenly dashed past, biting it around the middle, taking it from both of them and climbing nimbly up a freaking tree.

"What kind of wolf climbs trees?" Ruby asked.

"The one who has the stick." Merida grinned.

"Hey, Lily." Mulan said. "Guess what?" She grinned cheekily.

Lily wagged her tail. "What?"

"I beat Merida yesterday in a shooting contest. It was a bit of a blowout. She just wasn't on her game I guess."

"You rotten mutt, you lie!" Merida growled. "I'll rip your tail o-" The stick slipped from her jaws and Emma quickly snatched it up and took off with the pack at her heels. She made it a good 100 feet before Zelena sped in from the side and tackled her. Regina and RUby dove on top of them next and soon she was buried under a pile of giant wolves trying to get one stick...which she no longer had.

"Yoo hoo." They all looked up at Tink balancing the stick on her nose. "Looking for this?"

"Get...her." Ruby said. The pack took off after the fairy as she made a break for it,

Emma enjoyed herself immensely running through the forest and chasing the others. They ended up losing the stick in the river and started playing in the river. It was exhilarating, and she completely understand why they didn't want to give it up, why they would prefer their own freedom out here in the woods than deal with the people of the town. She wished they hadn't been driven to this, but she was happy for them. They'd built a wonderful place for themselves.

"Tonight was awesome." Emma said, walking home with Regina and Ruby.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Regina smiled. "It was fun having you."

"You know, I've been thinking about getting a house of my own in town. Maybe if I get one next to the forest, I can come visit again?"

"Anytime." Ruby smiled, putting her arm around the blonde. "But you'll probably want to stay home as three of us become…the size of goodyear blimps." She whispered the last part so Regina wouldn't hear.

"What?" Regina asked.

"Nothing dear. I was merely talking to Emma about your eventual changes dues to carrying our perfect offspring. You know wolves have like 6 pups, right?"

"I'm not having six kids, Ruby." Regina said firmly.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Then maybe Zelena and Belle will. Then we'll have little pups running around the forest. They're gonna be so cute."

"We still need to figure out what that thing was in the sky." Emma pointed out.

"I'm sure if we ignore it long enough, something else will happen." Ruby shrugged. She stepped back as they stopped outside the Charming apartment.

"Thanks again guys. I really needed it."

"No problem, Emma. You know if you ever need anything, just call." Regina said.

Emma nodded. "I will. Good night."

"Good night."

"Good night Swan." Ruby smirked and hoisted Regina onto her back, walking back off down the road.

Emma sighed. Tonight had been so much fun, she almost didn't want to go back into the house, but one thing Ruby had said had made sense. She needed to take charge. She was the Sheriff and the Savior and Henry's Mother and legal guardian. She should be making the decisions. As much as she had Regina here to go Evil Queen on Neal's ass, something she would've liked to see very much, she knew she needed to do it herself. She needed to grow a backbone and learn to grow up. Starting tomorrow, there was going to be some changes to Storybrooke…

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	8. Chapter 8

Emma looked up at her family as they walked into the police station. Henry was at Archie's place and she was dressed in jeans, boots, a white tank and her signature red jacket.

"You wanted to talk to us, Emma?" Neal asked.

"Yeah. Things are gonna change from now on." Emma said, crossing her arms. "I am sick of the way things have been progressing and it's time to put a stop to it."

"Let me guess: Regina-" Charming started.

Emma suddenly fired off her gun, silencing him at once. Dust sprinkled down from the ceiling and she dusted off the arm of her jacket. "This is what's going to happen. You're going to shut up and you're going to listen. I don't care about your opinions right now. One: Regina didn't do anything and I want you to stop talking about her in such a way that it makes me want to shoot you. Regina's a good person. I know she is to have dealt with you all for so long. Now." She sat down and crossed her legs. "Starting with you, Neal… you're fired. I want you to clean your crap out and get out."

"Wait a minute-" Charming began again so she fired off the gun a few more times.

"Dad, you seem to think you're still the prince. I'm the Sheriff. I make the rules. I hire and fire people. You're the deputy, the desk job, the coffee fetcher. You do what I say." She hissed. "Also, Neal, I don't ever want you near my son again unless it's with my permission. Anything that concerns him goes through me first."

"He's my son too." Neal snapped.

"You gave up any parental rights you had when you left me to rot in fucking prison!" Emma roared. "He is **my** son. There is only one name written as his legal guardian now...and that's mine. Got it?" Neal glared at her and she smirked, turning to her father. "Stop insulting Regina. She could've killed all of you a long time ago with a flick of her wrist but she didn't. She saved us all a dozen times and even when she was ostracized like hell, she still came running when it was needed. You are no longer a prince. You are no longer a king or a noble or whatever. You are a deputy. **I** am the Sheriff."

"Emma, this is-"

"Mom." Emma continued. "You may be the mayor now and good for you, but I don't want you bad mouthing Regina either. In fact, just don't talk about Regina when in my presence. I don't care who you are, but you will not be going over my head making decisions involving me or my son without my permission."

"This is what we were talking about." Neal hissed. "Regina doing some kind of mind trip on you. Henry is my son too and-"

Emma rolled her eyes and fired the gun again. She changed the clip and leaned it against her shoulder. "It's like talking to a wall. No, this is not a trip, this is me. This is me getting sick of tired of being pushed aside. I am the Savior, the both of you ruined Lily's life to make sure of that, but don't get me confused. I am not a princess and I don't want to be. I am perfectly fine with getting my hands dirty and if I have to do so to push facts through your thick skulls then fine. This town needs a leader who can lead."

"These are our people. We've lead them for years." Charming said.

"That's correct. And yet half of them wouldn't care if you were staked because of what you did to Lily." Emma replied. "In fact, you're fired too."

"I can just rehire him." Snow said. "And Neal. I'm the mayor."

"Great, fire me then. Re-Elections are coming up. I hope you put up a good fight. By the way, as of 20 minutes ago, me and Henry moved out." Emma smirked. "This meeting is adjourned." She sheathed the gun and made her way outside. She felt empowered and invigorated and just plain...good. She used magic to locate Regina and found her and the pack in wolf form, laying on top of some rocks, sunning themselves in the sun. "Hey!" She smiled as she climbed up the rocks and sat down to take a breather. Regina raised her head, making Ruby growl. The Dark Wolf was cuddled up close to her and was trying to groom her fur. Regina, Belle and Zelena had doubled in size over the last couple weeks, well their bellies had. Ruby gave Regina's a few licks then laid her head over it. Regina purred in response. All of them perked up when Emma told them about what she'd just done.

Ruby and Lily burst out laughing. Merida and Mulan snickered and Zelena only nodded and nuzzled Belle's neck.

"You're going to run for mayor?" Regina asked. "I know a trick to keep getting elected. Cast a curse." She snickered and Ruby snorted on her ear, making her growl.

"Who better to be the mayor than the Savior?" Belle voiced. "I think it's a good idea."

"Me too." Regina said. "You are a good leader Emma, and a good person."

"Thanks, Regina. They're going to fight it though." Emma said, feeling proud and a little smug at having Regina's approval. She hadn't actually been serious about that, seriously can anyone imagine her as the mayor. But thinking about it, it didn't sound like such a bad idea.

"You know we have your back if you need it." Ruby said.

"Thanks." Emma sighed. "Now to just tell Henry. He won't be happy."

"He never is." Lily muttered, getting to her feet and trotting off.

"What's her problem?"

They shrugged. "Mal is gonna be waking up soon."

"Do you think she'd join the pack?" Ruby asked.

"Hell no. Maleficent is a dragon and to her, they're superior to wolves." Regina replied.

"And do you think she'd follow you?" Mulan asked with a wolfish smirk.

"I don't see why not. I am the Dark Wolf."

Regina rolled her eyes and looked at Emma. "I can help you get ready for the elections. Believe me, I know how to win idiots over."

"You really think I have a shot?" Emma asked.

"Of course. But you gotta be ready."

/

Emma smiled as Henry ran from the bus to hug her. "Hey kid. Ready to go? I got a surprise."

"Yeah!" He momentarily paused at seeing Regina. The queen was wearing only some jeans and a long sleeved blouse that showed off her growing belly nicely. "Hi...Regina."

"Hello Henry." Regina greeted cheerfully. "How was school?"

"It was okay." He shrugged.

Regina smiled and turned to Emma. "Shall we, Miss Swan?"

"We shall. Are we walking?"

"It's a beautiful day. Why not?" Regina asked, taking the lead as they walked to the new house that Emma had purchased.

"Why is she here?" Henry whispered, although Emma knew Regina could hear every word.

"Her Majesty the Queen is gonna help me run for mayor."

"You're running against Grandma?"

"Yep. Everything's getting too crazy for me so I'm gonna make some changes."

"Make it an operation?" He smirked.

"Yep." Emma smiled. "Regina, give us an operation name."

Regina smacked her lips as she thought for a moment. "Operation...Meerkat."

"Meerkat, I like it." Emma said. She looked down at Henry, who still looked confused as to why his former mother was here. They came to the large house that Emma had purchased. It had a nice yard and wasn't too far from town that Henry couldn't see his friends and she could head out into the forest to see the pack. "It might need some fixing up, but I like it." She'd already moved in everything they owned and had gone out with Belle to buy some furniture and groceries. "What do you think?" Emma asked as they walked in.

"I love it!" Henry exclaimed, throwing down his bag and racing upstairs to see his room.

"Indeed, you have better taste than I thought." Regina smirked.

"Are you okay with this? Being around Henry, I mean?"

Regina nodded. "Perfectly so. He's happier here. That's all I will ever want him to be: happy." Emma smiled softly, in awe of how selfless the brunette could be. "Now." Regina conjured a full length mirror. "We need to find your inner boss bitchiness and bring it out. The best kind of mayor is the one that isn't afraid to do what she has to do."

"Like you?"

"No. You are you, Miss Swan. I want you to be the kind of mayor you want to be. You're already the Savior, now you just need to transition to leader."

"So the red leather jacket isn't gonna work?" Emma asked timidly.

"Be confident, Emma. You're going to be a leader and a leader has to be strong." Regina instructed. "A leader has to look like a badass." She waved her hands and conjured a skin tight long red dress on her body, one of her favorite from her Evil Queen days. Emma's jaw dropped when she caught sight of the brunette's ass in that dress. Regina smiled as she studied herself in the mirror. "This baby is gonna destroy my body." She said absently before turning back to Emma and closing her mouth. "Looking the part is step one to feeling it."

"Okay, I get it." Emma quickly thought of the spell she wanted to cast and waved her hands. Her clothes were replaced by a slim fitting white dress with quarter length sleeves and a low neckline but had a belt of diamonds. Her hair became sleek and wavy, spilling around her shoulder and her boots became tall silver stilettos.

"Where have you been hiding those?" Regina asked, blatantly staring at her chest.

Emma covered herself. "What? You can have everything on full display but I can't?"

Regina arched an eyebrow, smirking as she spun in a circle, purple smoke engulfing her. When it cleared, she was in one of her familiar black pants suits with a white silk shirt underneath. Emma spun as well covering herself in white smoke. When it cleared, she was in a white pants suit with a white silk shirt and black heels. Regina grinned as she waved her hands again, conjuring a little black dress with a red jacket and red heels. Emma did the same, changing her clothes into a sleek black and white dress with matching heels and went well with her red leather jacket, giving her a professional air and still letting off the impression that she could kick ass.

"You do know that you'll be the mayor and could essentially dress how you wanted, right?" Regina asked as Emma inspected herself in the mirror.

"I like this." Emma said. She waved her hand again and changed into a fitted dark blue shirt with quarter length sleeves, tight black jeans, long black boots, and a fitted black vest with Storybrooke on the shoulder. "Or this. It's different at least."

"It looks nice." Regina smiled over her shoulder. "Next, I don't think you need to work on the attitude. You have that perfectly." She smirked as Emma conjured a holster on her belt and put her gun in it. "Now that we have wasted a few minutes just changing our clothes, you should get out and meet the people and try to earn their trust. You're the Savior so check that."

"Why didn't you ever use any of these techniques and stuff to be a better queen?" Emma asked curiously.

"I was nothing more than a replacement and the people never gave me a chance." Regina shrugged. "They didn't want me, they wanted Ava and Snow."

"I'm sorry for that. I'm sure if you'd been given the chance, you could've been a great queen."

"It was never meant to be." Regina replied. "And I don't let it bother me."

Emma shook her head. "Really, Regina. I wish I'd have been there."

"Considering Snow was only 10 or 11, that would've weird." She said, smirking.

"True." Emma smiled.

They spent the rest of the day pretending to be training Emma when really all they did was practice a bit of magic and drink. It was around 6 when Henry came running downstairs to answer the door. Emma stood up as Neal walked in.

"I'm gonna go with Dad for dinner, Mom." Henry said, grabbing his coat.

"Henry, wait." Emma called. "No one told me about you two going to dinner."

"It's just Dad." Henry said.

"It doesn't matter. Your dad needs to ask me before you go anywhere from now on." She glared at Neal. "Have you forgotten our conversation this morning, Baelfire?"

"Emma, he's my son." Neal hissed.

"He can be your brother for all I care. Henry is staying home tonight until you learn your place. You're his father, but I'm his mother and legal guardian and you will abide by my rules. Got it?"

"Mom, relax." Henry looked at her like she was crazy.

"Go upstairs, Henry. I'll order out tonight."

"But-"

"Go." Emma said sternly, unaware of the approving smirk that Regina was throwing her way. Henry sighed as he went back upstairs. Emma turned back to Neal. "Back off."

"So you're just gonna isolate him from us? Like she tried to do?" Neal gestured to Regina, calmly sitting in a recliner, sitting a glass of wine. "He's only gonna resent you for it."

"Henry needs to learn that he is not a prince, he is not exempt from rules, and that his mother should be respected. I will not have you or my parents undermining my authority anymore. I told you things were gonna change, I meant it. And you know you better back off Regina. Ruby's gonna kick your ass."

"This is ridiculous. That's my son."

"He was your son 10 years ago, where were you then? Off somewhere joyriding while I was in prison?! Regina is the one who gave Henry his best chance and you did nothing because you listened to some stick about destiny and shit. Now get the hell off my property before I blast you off this porch." Neal glared at her before turning and storming off. Emma slammed the door.

"What's going on?" Henry asked, standing on the stairs. "Why'd you do that?"

"Because he needs to learn." Emma replied. "How does pizza sound for dinner?"

"Mom." Henry said sternly, looking at her in a way that mimicked Regina's almost perfectly, showing that there was more of Regina in her son than her or Neal put together.

"Come here, Kid." Emma sat down on the couch and Henry sat next to her. Regina teleported away, giving them privacy. "I am the Savior, but I don't make any decisions. My parents do, and Neal does, and you do. They call me when they need someone to battle a monster, but they completely override everything else in my life. I barely see you nowadays. Neal or my parents always have something for you to do, and I love that you're spending time with your family, but when they make decisions for you, and more importantly for me, against my wishes and without my permission, then I have to draw the line. It has to be drawn somewhere so I decided to draw it here. I want to change my life and yours and make them better."

"But they're our family."

"That's true, but I'm your mother and I'm only doing what's best for us. They're not happy because they're so used to getting their way and everyone doing what they say. I'm not going to be like that anymore because they're not making a good impression on you."

"What do you mean?" Henry asked.

Emma sighed. "You're not a prince, Henry. You're not a noble or whatever. You're just a kid and that's all you need to be. Your grandparents reward you for your terrible behavior, and you have been extremely rude lately, and I want it to stop. Your father cannot just come and do whatever he wants."

"You're each other's true love."

"He's an ass and I hate him. I know that's not what you want to hear but there was no way I could sugar coat that with a straight face."

Henry looked down, processing all that she'd said. "I'm sorry. I didn't even know. I'll do better, Mom."

Emma felt a stab in her chest, at having her son willing to go along with her demands so easily, but also at realizing that he refused to do the same with Regina, simply because of who she used to be. "Do you miss Regina?" She asked.

He shrugged. "Sometimes."

"What do you miss?"

"Some of everything. Her cooking for one. And she used to call me her little prince and tell me stories. It doesn't matter now though."

"You know she still loves you." Emma said.

He shrugged again. "Pizza sounds good." He went back upstairs and Emma placed the order. She leaned against the kitchen counter, jumping when Regina appeared nearby.

"Everything alright? They didn't give you a hard time did they?"

"He misses you." Emma said. Regina frowned, looking confused. "Henry, not Neal."

"Oh well that's much more plausible." She replied. "Henry made his decision. He must live with the consequences. Especially now since I'll be preoccupied." She glanced down at her growing stomach. "Lots of things are changing in Storybrooke. Attitudes can certainly do so."

"If I win...can I get a kiss?" Emma asked.

"Sure."

"Really?!" Emma did a giddy little dance. "Sorry I know we can only be friends now but-"

"Relax, Miss Swan. It's only a kiss. I'm sure Ruby won't mind considering I'm carrying her child. If she does, I can handle it." She smirked. "I would be happy to handle her wrath. But first...you have to win."

Emma put a lot of effort into being the perfect candidate for mayor. Henry even helped, along with his friends. The pack helped as well, discreetly so as to not hurt Emma's image, although she could hardly care. Regina coached her on talking and being persuasive and diplomatic. By the time the actual elections rolled around, she was in the prime position to unseat her mother, who was already struggling a bit to gain supporters. The people already knew what it felt like to be under her rule, but they trusted Emma too. She was their Savior and she was far more familiar with this world than Snow. Emma put Regina's teaching to good use during the debate, which was easy since half the stuff had to be explained not only to the people but to Snow as well. She held nothing back, not exactly talking dirty about her mother, but not sugarcoating what she'd done. Her mother, although had a good heart, was selfish, and tended to worry about her own happy ending before she did something to protect those that followed her. Emma not once said anything about what happened with Lily and Mal, but she didn't need to. The people didn't hesitate to question their Pure Princess about her actions involving stealing and cursing a baby. Snow tried to justify her actions and explained that she would do whatever it took to make it up to Mal and Lily.

And that was when the dragon awoke from her slumber...just in time to hear those lovely words...

The great dragon suddenly landed outside the town hall where the people were going to vote. The citizens scattered while Emma quickly made her sword appear in her hand and raced forward to protect her mother from the irate dragon, but Maleficent suddenly smacked her as she raised the blade, sending the Savior flying across the earth and landing painfully on her back. None of the pack moved to intervene. Not even Lily, who looked very amused by the entire situation. Maleficent raised her paw to inspect it, noting the sword buried deep in her palm. She plucked it out and shifted back into her human form. The beautiful blonde tilted her head, studying the blade.

"Maleficent, please." Snow pleaded when the dragon turned her attention to her. "I'm sorry."

Mal arched an eyebrow before walking over to Emma and extending her hand. Emma looked down at it before taking it and was yanked back to her feet. The dragon flipped the sword and she grabbed it by the hilt. "Why are you doing this?"

Mal leaned forward and whispered into her ear. "Because any chance I can to make your mother look like a fool, I will take it. Now take a knee." Mal stepped back and Emma got down on one knee with the sword tip pressed to the ground. The dragon breathed flames over her, bathing her in the fire. It didn't hurt, in fact it felt amazing. When all was said and done, Emma's sword was now made of diamond and sparkled in the light. Her clothes had been replaced with a White Knight's garb. "Arise, Savior of Storybrooke. White Knight. Emma." Emma stood up and bowed her head as Mal turned to leave, pointing at Lily. "You. Follow. Now." Lily rolled her eyes and followed her mother as they teleported away.

"You saw it people. Even the Dragon Queen has placed her vote with the Savior." Tink said. "Would you dare question the logic of an ancient dragoness?" She made a show of displaying Emma, who rolled her eyes at the laughing fairy. Snow looked shocked to say the least, maybe even a little proud, but Emma's eyes were only searching for one person's. She looked up at Regina and found her smiling as she walked towards her.

"I was never in any danger, was I?" Emma asked.

Regina wiped away a nonexistent speck on her shoulder. "If the Dragon Queen wanted to kill you...you would be dead. She is becoming unpredictable and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that."

"But Lily's in the pack. She won't hurt anyone, will she?"

"I doubt it. She might even know what that thing was in the sky." Regina said thoughtfully. "What'll be your first decree as mayor if you win?"

"I don't know. Probably fire my parents just for the hell of it. I might hire them back later, but…" She shrugged and hugged Regina. The brunette was obviously shocked by her reaction, but returned the hug after a moment. "Thanks Regina, for believing in me. Even if I don't win, it means a lot to me that you helped me, especially after how stupid and jealous I was of Ruby."

Regina kissed her forehead and stepped back with a smile. "No worries, dear. We all just want someone to believe in us. And despite our tattered romantic relationship, I cannot thank you enough for saving me from that darkness. I'll always be grateful to you for that."

"I'm the Savior. It's what I do." Emma shrugged.

Regina smiled. "You are going to make one hell of a mayor."

"I'm in the market for a secretary."

Regina scoffed and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I am a queen, I will not be getting you coffee or hot chocolate with cinnamon in the morning or grilled cheese sandwiches and french fries in the afternoon. Although I would love to see the travesty of a filing system your mother probably has." She shuddered at the thought of it. Meanwhile Emma was just surprised that the brunette was aware of her favorite foods. She could definitely name the queen's favorites, but she hadn't realized that Regina knew hers as well. Regina was still muttering to herself about how inadequate her mother was as mayor when Ruby came over, again making sure to touch the queen's stomach before accepting a hello kiss from her mate.

"So, Emma, what do you say to a party at the Rabbit Hole?" Ruby asked, putting an arm around Regina. "To celebrate your obvious win. Snow can't beat a fucking dragon, that's for sure." She smacked Regina's hand away when she tried to touch her face.

"Sure. I'm up for it."

"What's the point? I can't drink." Regina pouted. "This is your fault for knocking me up."

Ruby rolled her eyes with a smirk. "Worry not, your majesty, we shall find something for you to do. But first, you have a doctor's appointment."

"Ruby, an appointment every other week is excessive."

"Then how else will we know that the baby is okay?"

"I'm sure the baby is fine." Emma supplied. "They have the best mother in the world, they're in good hands."

"Thank you Emma." Regina smiled, looking up at her mate. "See? The White Knight says I don't have to go, so I'm not going."

"You're going." Ruby said matter of factly with a firm nod. She started walking towards the hospital and Regina remained with her arms crossed defiantly. Ruby didn't even have to turn back around before Regina sighed.

"See how she makes all the decisions?" The queen scoffed, marching after Ruby.

Emma smirked. Truly, they were made for each other. She turned her head as the rest of the pack followed their leaders, Zelena cursing the entire way about having to walk everywhere when they could just teleport. Lily, having returned, stayed where she was. Lily felt her gaze and glared at her. She didn't understand why the dragon suddenly hated her with a passion. Just after Emma had gone running with the pack, Lily just became a different person, more angry and animalistic. "Did I do something to you?" She shrugged away the few people coming to talk to her and approached the dragon.

"What?" Lily growled, eyes glowing.

"You've been acting like a complete bitch lately, I was wondering if I pissed you off."

"Dragon stuff, it has nothing to do with you." Lily shot back.

Emma could feel she was lying about something. Maybe not about it being something to do with dragons, but it obviously had something to do with her. "I know we're not really friends or anything, Lily, but you have to know me better than to lie to me. And do it so poorly, might I add."  
"You've been spending too much time with Regina." Lily scratched her neck absently.

"You're probably right." Emma shrugged. "But what's going on with you?"

"I can't tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because."

Emma sighed. "Come on, Lily."

Lily growled at her. "I'll see you tonight after the votes have been tallied. We can talk then." She started to teleport away when Maleficent appeared once again.

"Why are you beating around the bush, Lilith?"

"Because not all of us are as confident as you, Mom." Lily called.

Emma smiled at how juvenile she sounded. But her smile disappeared when Maleficent approached her. "May we speak privately, Savior?"

"Sure." She found herself at the precinct. It was empty and dark so she went to cut on the lights. "Thank you for the White Knight thing back there. And the heart attack that came with it."

Maleficent chuckled. "My pleasure, dear. I wanted to ask you about Lily."

"I wanted to ask you about her too. Why she is being so cryptic and weird?"

"Puberty." The dragon waved her hand dismissively.

"She hasn't gone through puberty yet?" From the looks of things, Lily certainly had. She already possessed her mother's temper, wit, and beautiful body- Enough of that.

"I was told you had some videos of her, from when she was younger. May I see them?"

"Oh, of course. I should've showed you a long time ago." She quickly went to go get the camera and plugged it up to the TV. Maleficent watched her movements closely, but she wasn't guarded at least. She watched the videos of her and Lily as children, laughing and making faces for the camera. It made her own heart twinge painfully just watching it.

"In everyone's life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit." Maleficent said softly. Emma looked over at her. "Albert Schweitzer."

"What?"

"I have read a lot of this world's literature." The older blonde said dismissively. "Thank you. I wasn't there for Lily's younger years, but she has told me that your presence helped somewhat with the darkness. I will not hold you accountable for the actions of your parents."

"T-thank you." Emma dipped her head respectfully.

"No, thank you." Mal stood up and extended her hand. "Good luck in the running."

Emma nodded again as she shook hands and the dragon was gone.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regina looked at herself in the mirror, naked and glowing. She smiled softly and started to rub her growing belly. She was going to be a mom again. A real mother. She could hardly believe that all of this was possible when not too long ago, she'd almost giving up having true happiness.

"Hey." Ruby appeared, leaning against the doorway. "You okay?"

"Ruby, I don't think I've ever been better."

"Oh yeah?" Ruby came forward and wrapped her arms around her. "I love you, Regina." She sighed.

"I love you too, Ruby."

"I was thinking about something." Ruby said, stepping away to get her robe for her. She held it open as she put it on.

"What is it, dear?" She asked, tying the robe and following the werewolf into their bedroom.

"Do you think I could be a mother with all this darkness?" Ruby held out her hand and the Dark One's dagger appeared in it. "As much as I love the power of the Dark One, you and our child will always mean more. What if I endanger them because of this? What if I become like Gold, care more about my power than anything?"

"You want to take it out?" Regina asked.

"Doing that would mean someone else would have to take it into themselves, and I'm the strongest person to do that right now. Is there a way to destroy it permanently?"

"Perhaps, but it'll take some time." Regina answered. She entered Ruby's arms and leaned her head against her chest. "You saved me, with and without the darkness, Ruby. You are going to be a wonderful mother, and you are going to be able to do that with or without the darkness. I believe in you."

"Thanks, Gina."

"Anytime, my love. If this is what you desire, then we'll do everything in our power to take this darkness out of you, and we'll have our family."

Ruby suddenly picked her up and Regina laughed as she carried her mate over to the bed and dumped her on it. "We'll raise our child as one of the pack, and they'll never want for anything. They're going to be beautiful and smart just like you, and just plain awesome, like me."

Regina laughed. "Indeed. They will be perfect."

"Just like you." Ruby kissed her nose. "I can't wait. Do you think it'll be a boy or girl?"

"Probably a girl."

"It's gonna be a boy."

"Girl."

"Boy."

"Girl."

"It will be a boy. How much you wanna bet?" Ruby smirked.

Regina thought for a moment. "Okay, if it's a girl, you have to get up for the first month in the middle of the night and take care of our little girl."

"And once it's a boy, you have to do it, plus a ton of sex."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Deal. But we can start that ton of sex right now."

"Uh, I love you so fucking much." Ruby grinned.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

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	9. Chapter 9

Emma leaned against the rail of the balcony, overlooking the town, her new domain.

"Congratulations." Lily said, coming to her side. "You earned it."

"Thanks. I had good help." She looked over her shoulder at Regina, angrily rearranging the filing cabinet.

"This filing system is atrocious. Why the hell would she not put it in alphabetical order? Emma, your mother is an idiot. Do you know that?"

Emma smiled. She'd decided not to change any of the queen's decorations. Regina made the decision to burn the bird picture that her mother had added and Emma had put some up of her and Henry instead. She turned back to looking at the dark town, quiet and slumbering. "You gonna tell me why you've been acting so weird? I thought we were actually making progress towards friendship."

"We are. It's just…" Lily sighed. "It's complicated. I'm sorry though. I wish I could explain it."

"A dragon thing?"

"Yeah. A dragon thing."

"So...still friends?"

"Yeah." Lily nodded. "I should go. I have to check on my Mom and get back to the den. Congratulations again and I'll see you later." Emma nodded and the dragon leaped off the balcony and started off into the night. Emma watched her for a minute before going back inside where Regina had finished fixing the filing and tidied up the desk.

"There you are, dear. Please help me up."

Emma quickly pulled the brunette to her feet and took her seat at the desk. "It feels weird."

"You'll get used to it." Regina smirked. "I would love to stay and have a celebratory drink, but unfortunately I'm pregnant and Ruby wants me home by midnight. Congratulations again, dear. You deserve it."

"Thanks Gina." Emma stood up and looked around her new office. It would take some getting used to, but at least she had Regina when she really needed her. However, she made a mental promise not to bother the queen too much, what with her pregnancy and all. She turned back to the queen and was shocked by the kiss. It was tender but with quite a bit of passion. She didn't even hesitate to return it. Regina took a step back and licked her lips in the most delicious manner.

"Good night, Madame Mayor." Regina grinned before disappearing in a cloud of smoke.

Emma touched her lips, letting out a girlish giggle as her lips continued to tingle from Regina's touch. "Madame Mayor...I like it."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Due to the pregnancies, Regina was unable to help the new mayor much besides emails and text messages. The baby was growing much faster than normal. Clearly, all three were magical. So Regina was quite busy with the mood swings and cravings. However, it didn't stop her from noticing Lily's new attitude towards Storybrooke's new mayor. They were together almost any time that Lily wasn't preoccupied with the pack or her mother. Storybrooke flourished under the Savior's tentative reign. She needed some encouragement before she started to get things done. She fired her father and Neal but let Snow keep her job as teacher and hired Tink as her secretary, even going so far as to name Mal and Lily as the new sheriff and deputy of the town, a decision that was not meant with much approval. However, both proved great assets and Tink kept Regina well informed on goings on in the town in case it involved their pack. For the time being, Storybrooke was more peaceful, but the mysterious magic in the sky and the sealed borders did not leave anyone's mind. Emma called a meeting in order to try and make some sense of it, hoping that Maleficent's experience could offer them some new insight into the occurrence.

On the way there, Regina begged Ruby to stop and get some snacks. Zelena agreed from the back. The witch had been complaining nonstop about her feet for the past three days but she would not be left out of this meeting. Ruby smiled as she climbed out of the truck and walked into the store, grabbing the sisters' favorite treats: chocolate, a couple root beers, and more chocolate. She burst out laughing when she came to check out and found Prince Charming bagging groceries. She couldn't help chuckling as he bagged her items. She smiled and teleported back out to the car. Both sisters let out happy squeals when they were given their little treat and happily munched away as Ruby drove to the mayor's office. They went inside and found Lily already there, talking to Emma. They were standing incredibly close. Maleficent seemed amused as she concentrated on her phone. The dragon was still learning the new devices of this world although she seemed to be adjusting well.

"Great." Emma said, straightening her white pants suit. "You guys are here. We can get started."

"The spell was an aging spell." Mal said matter of factly, not looking up from her phone. "It was partially what woke me from my slumber. My power is supposed to increase the longer I was in hibernation. It stopped, therefore, time itself has stopped. Simple."

"Then how do we get it moving again?" Lily asked.

"To do that, you would need to who cast the spell and why. Once you find that out, it should be easy to undo."

"How do we do that?"

"I don't know. I'm just the sheriff. Ask the mayor."

Lily glared at her before turning to Emma. "I'll get to the bottom of this, okay?" Emma nodded. Regina grinned when they kissed, light and almost timid, but a kiss nonetheless. She was pleased that they were getting along better.

"We can comb the woods and the streets at night to see if we can find out where the spell was cast." Ruby volunteered.

"Me and Belle can start work in the library." Zelena added.

"I would offer my own magic but it's pretty unpredictable at this point." Regina said, looking at Emma. "But if you need another hand, I'm here."

Emma shook her head. "You guys are amazing. Thank you."

Regina waved her dismissively. "A fact that is well known."

"I suppose I can see if there's any lingering traces of magic in the sky." Lily said. "Unless Mom wants to get off her ass and do it."

"I have sheriff things to do." Mal said, standing up. "But I have to go. I have a friend in desperate need of my sexual services. You're okay to take over for the evening, right?" She kissed Lily's cheek and teleported away.

"What friend?" Lily asked.

Regina shrugged. "Knowing your mother, she could lend her special services to several people. But on from Maleficent's sexual prowess, we might need to set this up in some kind of schedule. The children are due in a couple more months. After that, we'll be too preoccupied."

Emma nodded. "Don't worry. Just because I traded in my red leather jacket for a red blazer, doesn't mean I can't still get the job done in the field." She reached onto her desk and produced a small white card with some map coordinates. "I did some readings after the night the borders were sealed. You might to start looking here for answers."

"Ruby, you might want to start looking there for answers." Regina said. Ruby frowned at her. "What? I'm not going anywhere, I'm pregnant."

"I actually need to borrow the queen tonight anyway." Emma added. "If that's alright."

"Perfectly so." Regina sat down with a soft grunt. Ruby gave her kiss on the forehead before pulling out her phone to call the rest of the pack. Lily took off out the window, shifting into dragon form in midair. The others leaped into action and soon it was only Regina and Emma. Emma sat next to the queen with a sigh.

"I think I've ever appreciated you more in doing your job as well as you have, that I do now." The blonde said.

"You're just full of compliments today, aren't you? How are things?"

"Great. Henry's doing well, the job's not that bad. Making progress."

"Have you spoken to your parents?"

"Not really. Neal either."

"Why did you need me?"

Emma sat forward. "What kind of gift can you give a dragon without it being...too much or something they don't already have?"

"Dragons often don't like receiving gifts." Regina answered honestly. "It's odd, because they love giving them. Food. Food always works. If you're talking about Lily, food will definitely be fine." She smirked.

Emma smiled. "I never thought things would turn out this way between us."

"You never expect to fall in love, Miss Swan. You can't predict when it happens or who it happens with."

"I know, but just a few months I thought she hated me."

"Wasn't it puberty or something?' Regina asked, absently scratching her ear.

"Yeah. It turns out she was going into heat too and she wanted me and she was trying to fight it off. That's why she was such a bitch."

Regina smirked. "Bitch. I will never be able to use that word again without grinning."

"You know, you've become very immature since you started being with Ruby." Emma commented. Then again, now that the blonde thought about it, Regina might've always been this way except she was so used to being queenly and regal that her natural tendencies never came through. The queen never seemed bothered by it though, despite the fact that she'd never had a real childhood and a very dark adulthood. "You're happy, right?"

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Of course. Why?"

"I'm just glad you are. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

"We all deserve happiness, Miss Swan. I'm no better than anyone else." She shrugged. "Anything else?"

"Just one question about some forms." Emma said, getting up to get them.

Regina grinned immediately. "Oh this is easy." Emma smiled as the brunette set to work correcting her mistakes. She was in constant awe of the woman before her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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A/N: Short update, I know, but next chapter I promise will be better and longer since the little ones are finally going to be born.


	10. Chapter 10

Ruby damn near broke the door off its hinges as she burst into the diner. Emma and Henry were having lunch and jumped when she came in. "Granny! They're coming! Come on, I got Whale on standby." Granny designated one of the other waitresses to take over and teleported off with the wolf. Ruby lead her to the bedroom where Zelena was laying, panting and grunting. "Regina's contractions aren't as close." Whale bent next to his patient and helped her to get into position.

"Just breathe, Z. This'll be over soon." Mulan said.

"I was a fake midwife, Lani, I know the drill." Zelena replied.

Ruby sent Granny to Belle's room and went to check on her mate. Tink was by her side. The queen was breathing slowly and deeply, keeping calm. "Everything alright?"

"She's fine." Tink answered. "Wish you guys could've given us at least an hour or two between births."

"Ruby." Regina growled. "I'm going to kill you."

"What did I do?"

"You did this to me." The queen snapped. She leaned her head back and Ruby sat next to her, holding her hand. Tink timed her contractions. A few minutes later, Zelena's screams could be heard all throughout the den. Whale started yelling for her to push.

"Just stay calm, Regina. I called Mal. She's on her way." Tink said soothingly. Regina nodded, gritting her teeth whenever she felt a contraction but never screaming. Ruby kissed her hair and held on tightly to her hand.

"You know, it just now occurs to me that we have not even discussed names, Regina." Ruby murmured. "What are you thinking? Maybe Daniel, if it's a boy?"

"You don't know the gender?" Mal asked as she burst into the room.

"No. We want it to be a surprise." Regina hissed through gritted teeth. "And I don't want to name the baby after someone else. They will be the first of their name."

"You guys watch too much Game of Thrones." Tink muttered.

"I fucking hate that show." Regina scoffed.

"You used to love it." Ruby frowned.

"Everyone dies, Ruby!"

"Your favorite character died so you stop watching the show?"

"As long as the Mother of Dragons lives, I'm perfectly fine." Mal smiled. She lifted Regina's dress and her smile faded. "Regina, the baby is crowning, why aren't you screaming?" Regina gave her a death glare. "Relax, it's almost time to start pushing." The dragon got into position and Tink brought her some gloves and towels. Regina started breathing especially hard. Then the screaming started. "You're doing good, dear. Push!" Ruby collapsed to her knees as Regina squeezed her hand for all it was worth. "Come on, Regina, push!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

/

Regina sighed, holding their tiny baby boy in her arms. He was so beautiful, so perfect. Ruby kissed her hair and nuzzled her neck affectionately. "You know, Miss Lucas, I think this is the only time in my life, where I'm actually glad to be Regina Mills."

"You have a lot more to love about Regina Mills." Ruby replied. "By the way, I win."

"I suppose you do." Regina smiled and kissed their son's forehead. "What'll we name him?"

"I don't know." Ruby said, kissing their son as well. "He looks like you. Some kind of variation of your name?"

Regina shook her head. "What about Jack? Simple, strong and timeless. Jack the Giant Slayer doesn't count since that wasn't her real name."

"Jack it is then."

The amount of happiness and pride that Regina felt just could not be put into words. She was almost shaking with excitement at having her own child, starting her own family. Less than a year before she'd been wasting away and now...she looked up at Ruby and saw nothing but love shining through her eyes. Her heart just wanted to burst. It almost physically hurt to feel so much love. "Do you think he won't mind being the son of the Evil Queen?" She asked.

"He's not Henry, Regina. He is our son, and he is going to love you so much you won't know what to do." Ruby replied. "Your heart will be his example. Strong, resilient and brave."

Regina wiped away a few tears. "And yours. Loyal, fearless and beautiful." She sighed when Ruby leaned her head against hers. "I never thought life could be so perfect." She kissed Ruby's temple and handed her their son to hold for the first time.

Granny came in and announced that Zelena had had a boy as well that she named Benjamin. Belle was with Whale and still in labor. "She's having twins."

"She and Zelena are gonna be exhausted." Ruby commented, bouncing their little one. "We'll have to get some stuff from the store. I'm not even sure what a diaper is made of, much less how to conjure one."

"I'll take care of everything once I've rested." Regina sighed. She was quite tired.

"Go to sleep. We'll be right here when you wake up." Ruby promised. She nodded to Mal and Tink, who quickly went to check on their favorite bookworm. Regina's eyes sagged closed after that. When she awoke a few hours later, Ruby was curled up with their little Jack in her arms. She got up to take a shower and when she returned Ruby had cleaned the room and was feeding Jack. She settled back on the bed with her back against the headboard and Ruby placed Jack in her arms.

"Belle had two fraternal twins. Both boys."

"She and Zelena name them yet?"

"Aaron and Spencer." Ruby stretched out next to her and watched as she fed Jack. "Four little boys added to our pack."

"Indeed. It's what you get for building a pack of all females." Regina smirked.

"Emma's calling nonstop. She wants to know if we're going to announce the births."

Regina scoffed. "I don't give a damn about that town and anyone in it. I moved away for a reason. Honestly, I would rather not even go back there unless it's necessary."

Ruby nodded. "We should make sure the nursery is good and we have to make sure we have a steady supply of milk."

Regina frowned as she looked up. "Is this formula milk?"

Ruby smirked mischievously. "No."

"This...is my breast milk. How did you…?"

"Magic of course." Ruby grinned. "But anyways," she said, getting back to business. "I'm gonna head to the store in Storybrooke and make sure we have what we need." Regina conjured a list for her. "I'll be back in a little bit. I promise." Regina smiled and nodded, almost purring with pleasure and Ruby's desire to stay as close as possible to her newly expanded pack. She teleported off and Regina went to the nursery that was only half done. They'd really slacked on its design due to being large and lazy, but a little magic could easily fix it. Belle was sitting in a rocking chair with her little one and Zelena was lounging on a lounge chair feeding Benjamin, while Granny was in her own rocking chair with the other twin. The other pack members were cooing over the new arrivals and begging to hold them. The four little babes could not have been surrounded by more love if they tried.

/

Ruby filled the shopping cart until it was overflowing with triple the amount of everything Regina had asked for her to get plus some other necessary groceries.

"Ruby!" Emma nearly got fried as she raced over. "What happened? Is everyone alright? What are their names?"

Ruby ignored her for a moment as she went over everything in the cart. "Yeah, everything's fine. The births went great. Belle had twins."

"What?!"

"Emma, please calm down. I'm trying to make sure I have everything for Gina." She checked her list and went to check out.

"Tell me more about them, Ruby, don't hold out." Emma pressed, following at her heels. Not far behind her was Henry.

"All of them are boys. Our son's name is Jack. Zelena and Belle's sons are Benjamin, Aaron and Spencer."

"When can I meet them?"

Ruby shrugged as the cashier rang up her stuff. "Probably later. They're tired and we have to finish the nursery."

Emma frowned. "I have a feeling that you don't want me around." She stepped in front of the wolf as she paid the $400 for all her groceries. "What's wrong?"

"I really have to get home. We have a lot to do." Ruby said simply. She teleported herself and her things back to the den and magically put everything away. She went into the nursery and smiled, ready to burst with happiness at seeing her friends and family all gathered together around her little ones. This was her pack and it was growing even more beautiful by the day. Regina looked up and smiled. She smiled back and quickly walked forward to sit next to her mate and son. "I love you, Regina."

"I love you too, dear. I'm also starving. Do you mind fixing me something to eat?"

"Not at all, babe." She kissed Regina's forehead and stood up. "Who's hungry, ladies?" Everyone raised their hands. "Alright, fine. Mulan, Mal, come help me in the kitchen." What surprised her more than anything was Maleficent actually complying to her command. She looked at Regina and pointed at the dragon with a grin. Regina rolled her eyes.

"It's only because she's hungry too." The queen called as they went into the mansion kitchen. They were in the process of making a kitchen inside the mountain but Zelena was in charge of that so Ruby didn't really bother with it.

"Alright, they need something filling and healthy. Suggestions?" Ruby asked, opening the fully stocked refrigerator.

"Meat." Mal answered, reaching into the freezer and pulling a slab of beef.

"Vegetable soup?" Mulan suggested with a shrug.

"Alright. Let's make it happen. Maybe some omelettes too."

"Or just cook some of everything." Maleficent grinned.

"I like the way you think." Ruby grinned back. They fixed a full course meal and carried everything to their pack mothers and sisters to devour.

The next few weeks passed in a blur. A very exhausting blur filled with sleepless nights, not necessarily from crying babies but from the mothers staying up even after they'd soothed their little ones. Ruby had the pack finally finish the nursery and added in the kitchen. Regina fully destroyed her mansion, although she did remove everything of value and took some of the architectural styles to add to the den. The den became more than a mountain and instead after making some vast changes, it resembled more of a palace atop a pedestal with great waterfalls pouring out of it. It was marvelous to behold and what Ruby felt her mate and pack truly deserved. Emma didn't come by until after these renovations were made and her jaw hit the floor when she saw it.

Regina was sitting in the shade beneath her tree, holding Jack, when the blonde arrived with Ruby. The she-wolf's eyes were glowing and the queen could feel her unease. It was a natural tendency to want almost no one near their pup.

"Regina, he's so perfect. He looks like you." Emma said, sitting next to her.

"Yes he is, but I think he's more like Ruby." Regina kissed Jack's cheek and he smiled a little. "He's going to be the most handsome man in Storybrooke when he gets older."

"I'll bet." Emma smiled. "May I hold him?"

"Be very careful." Regina cautioned as she gently handed over her child. She watched closely as the blonde held her baby.

"You guys have changed a lot of stuff." Emma commented. Regina said nothing. "Think maybe Henry could come see it?"

"No." Regina said without hesitation.

"What?"

"Henry is no longer my son and I won't have you trying to force us back in each other's lives. It should be his decision. Besides, I don't want a lot of people knowing the location of our den."

"Anyone could follow Maleficent when she flies here." Emma pointed out. "And Henry **is** your son. I know you haven't given up on him."

Ruby let out an involuntary growl as she stepped forward. "Maleficent never flies directly here and Henry…" she paused for emphasis. "Is **your** son. He made that pretty clear and now there is no paper trying to force the belief that the Evil Queen is his mother. **He** gave up on Regina a long time and she held out on the belief he would come around. He hasn't...and he never will."

"What the hell is your problem?" Emma demanded, standing up. Regina's eyes grew wide as she quickly rose to take her child.

"I don't have one." Ruby replied, eyes glowing. "I **do** know one thing: **you** and that bastard town are what made Regina want to leave in the first place and I've accepted you, that you're friends with Regina, but now you want to steadily reintroduce her to the idiots that treated her like shit. What's next? Dinner with the Charmings?"

"Did you just call my son an idiot?" Emma demanded.

Regina sighed and cooed over Jack to make sure he didn't start fussing due to the increasing volume of the angry females nearby.

Ruby noticed and raised her hands in surrender. "Regina gave you her answer. **No one** else comes here. No one should try to find us. Got it?"

Emma glared at her. "Yeah I got it you two-faced bitch. Send me home."

"Walk." Ruby growled, teleporting her to the edge of town.

"That wasn't nice." Regina sang.

Ruby sighed and visibly relaxed. "I know, but I don't like the idea of more people coming here and I don't like her trying to shove Henry down your throat."

"I'm fine, Miss Lucas."

"Because you left them in the dust and went after your happy ending instead of trying to beg for scraps of affection from them." She walked towards Regina and leaned her forehead against hers. "They are the past. **You** should get to decide if you want them to be a part of your future or not."

Regina gently touched her cheek and tilted her head down for a tender kiss. "My future is here, with our pack. Calm down, tiger. There's no need to mark your territory when I am already utterly yours. Okay?" Ruby slowly nodded and Regina kissed her again. "Come on, Jack wants a kiss to make you feel better." Ruby smiled and kissed Jack's cheek. "Feel better?"

"Much."

Regina scowled as her phone rang and she handed the baby over to Ruby before answering. "Emma, didn't we just meet?"

"You should come to the edge of town." Emma said. "The borders are open again."

/

"This is no coincidence." Maleficent said, standing next to the worried mothers. "The aging spell being enacted just before your pregnancies were announced, the borders being unsealed just after their births." She turned to Regina. "Your children are the key. The aging spell didn't affect them or else you would still be pregnant."

"Whoever's doing this wants them to be a certain age?" The queen asked.

"Most likely. It also means they're probably safe for now. I'll patrol from now on." She looked at Emma. "By the way...I quit. This is gonna be a full time job and I have had enough of dealing with petty annoyances like people." She shuddered. "Or worse…dwarves."

Emma looked at Lily. "Mind taking over?"

"Hire your dad and Neal as deputies and we can work something out." Lily said.

Emma frowned. "Why?"

"Because I'm not sheriffing alone while my mom is patrolling and I have four new packmates to help care for. I know they exactly need me but you know I wanna be there."

The blonde nodded. "How about we talk about it tonight?"

Lily nodded and looked at Regina and Mal for further instruction. Both Queens waved her away and the couple teleported off while the two queens returned to the den.

/

Emma watched Lily sit down on her couch and sat down as well. "What's going on?" Things had been going so well between all of them, she just didn't understand the sudden hostility with Ruby and the reluctance of her girlfriend.

"They're my pack." Lily said. "They were there when my mom couldn't be and for that, they have my loyalty. I care about you and my job and I'll be your sheriff, but you have to understand that most of my time will be spent with them, helping find out what the hell's going on and protecting the little ones."

She'd expected it. Emma sighed and looked down at her lap. She'd been hoping for one supportive person that was on **her** side before everything else, but it was foolish of her to think that that would be Lily. "I'm sorry if I pressured you."

"It's fine." Lily smiled with a shake of her head. She gently touched the mayor's thigh and tilted her head to make Emma look her in the eye. "Everything's going to be fine."

"Why doesn't Ruby want me around?" Emma asked. "I thought we were past all of the jealousy."

"A wolf sees anyone who isn't a member of her pack as a threat to her young. Her wolf is probably rearing its ugly head because she feels so protective. I wouldn't worry over it."

Emma glanced upstairs. "Regina doesn't want anything to do with Henry."

"There is a reason for that." Lily shrugged.

"He regrets it. I knew he would." Emma whispered. Her son was often asking her about his former adoptive mother now, albeit discretely. It was clear to her that he missed Regina and she hoped that one day they could reconcile. But Regina wanted nothing to do with him. She wanted nothing to do with Storybrooke anymore.

"This is all about Regina?" Lily slowly frowned and leaned away. "You did all of this, played nice, so you could get to Regina. You, her and Henry? Perfect family?"

"No! No, Lily, you know how I feel about you." Emma pleaded, quickly kissing the dragon's lips. "I'm over Regina. Why else would I move on?"

Lily slowly relaxed. "Sorry. I know how much you loved her."

 **Love.** Emma wanted to correct, but she held her tongue for now. She still loved Regina and always would. The queen would always have a special place in her heart and she would be lying if she said she never considered that perfect family picture with her, Regina and Henry.

"I think I should go." Lily abruptly stood up and made for the door. "I'll see you later, Madam Mayor."

Emma bit her lip, watching her leave. Why did she feel like Lily had just read her thoughts?

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After the first year, Ruby found herself falling in love with being a parent. Jack was unarguably the most wonderful son she could ever ask for and she adored her new nephews as well. Zelena turned out to be a very protective mother, while Belle was the less restricting of the two. Ruby was shocked to say the least at Regina's new way of being a mother. She came home one day from a morning run and it was lightly raining outside, to find none other than Regina Mills dancing in the rain with Jack splashing in the puddles. Natasha Bedingfield's Unwritten was playing loudly out of a speaker. Soon, the other packmembers had joined in, dancing and having fun. Ruby wagged her tail and shifted into human form to happily race forward to kiss her mate and pick up her son to spin him around, making him squeal with laughter. It was the first time any of the kids had been in the rain and they were enjoying every second.

They baby proofed the entire den and Regina built infloatable passages for the kids with trampoline floors and slides. It was a little kid's dream come true. And absolute paradise for their mothers.

Ruby found Regina and Zelena watching over the kids for the night.

"Freedom." Regina said. "If he learns no other lesson from us, it will be to never let anyone take your freedom. He's free to do anything he wants and be anyone he wants to be."

"I want my boys to be wicked." Zelena said. Regina looked up at her in confusion. "Not to be malicious, but to know who they are and accept it, be their true authentic self and damn what anyone else thinks. That they are powerful and can do anything they set their eyes upon. Nothing will restrict them."

The sisters shared a smile and looked back down at their little ones. "They are perfect and will grow to be greater than even us."

Ruby smiled as she stepped forward, kissing both of them on the cheek. "They have the most beautiful mothers in the world watching out for them. They'll be alright." Regina and Zelena both leaned against her. A moment later, she felt Belle slide in for a hug.

"No one told me we were hugging." The bookworm said sleepily.

Ruby chuckled and kissed her on the head. This was her pack. She almost couldn't believe it. The darkness didn't even matter to her anymore. True, there were some days she was left sitting in the bathtub, shaking with cold sweat and struggling to fight off the overwhelming blackness. Every time, **every** time, Regina found her and sat with her and simply held her hand while she caressed Daniel's ring and thought bright things, happy things. Now, she brought Jack with her and his presence made it all better instantly. Once, when it was particularly bad, the entire pack had come and sat in the bathroom until the spell had subsided. They were true friends and she considered true family.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sneaking out was something he was known for, but he didn't do it too often any more. Henry easily slipped out while his mother was trying and failing to get in contact with Lily. He made his way into the forest nearby and sat down near the quiet trail. It was almost midnight. They were right on time.

There was a great dark brown wolf at the head. A sleek black one walked at her side. He knew who they were. Ruby and Regina, his former mother. Between them walked a tiny wolf pup, tripping over his own paws as he followed his mothers. It was Regina's new son. The rest of the pack followed in their pawsteps, three other little wolves playing between their legs. One big happy family.

He looked down, remembering when Regina used to be his mother. All the promises she broke, the people she hurt for her own happiness. She **was** the Evil Queen and she wasn't his real mother. She didn't want him anymore anyway.

When he looked back up, he jumped at the sight of Regina standing directly in front of him, towering over him with a curious expression in her intelligent eyes. She snorted, blasting him with hot air. Between her paws was her wolf cub. Henry knew that his name was Jack from Emma talking about him.

Jack bared his teeth and growled, fluffing out his fur to make himself impressive. Henry cautiously took a step back and Jack leaped forward, knocking the boy onto his butt.

"Get away from me." Henry hissed.

Regina growled softly as she lowered her head next to Jack for the little cub to brush up against lovingly. The queen let out a long howl before picking up Jack by the scruff of his neck and melting away into the forest, as though she were never here.

Emma came barrelling out of the forest a second later. "Henry, what the hell are you doing out here in the middle of the night?!"

"I saw them." Henry said. "She didn't say anything. She just...looked at me."

"Henry." Emma crouched down in front of her son. "Regina sees us as her past and she doesn't want us in her future."

"But you and her are friends."

"I asked her, Henry. She said no. We'll just have to make our own happy ending I guess."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	11. Chapter 11

Ruby placed on a spell on the den, a barrier. Anyone who got a little too close to the home of her pack, and crossed the barrier would be teleported back to the edge of the forest. Her main priority when not leading the pack, or being a mother to her pup, was their safety and protection. She took the job rather seriously, but as for whoever cast the aging spell on the town, they were pushed to the back of everyone's minds as the raising of children moved to the forefront.

It was Granny and Regina's turn to watch all four little rascals for the day and the queen took them to the diner to show them around. They were fascinated with the town and the people that came in and out. Granny also helped by sneaking them little treats as she went about her business. She should've known that she wouldn't have any peace as Emma and Henry walked in.

The blonde quickly made her way over. "So... Ruby's being a bit of a bitch."

"She's protective." Regina shrugged.

"Yeah, well, Henry wanted to know if you'd have lunch with us."

"No." Regina replied, again with no hesitation. "But I do hope it's good for you. I have four little ones to look after."

"Maybe Henry should get to know his brother."

Regina arched an eyebrow. "I don't think Jack exactly knows who he is yet. Not to mention the inability to speak. Emma, I appreciate that you want me and Henry to reconcile, but I don't want to. If I did, I'd be more impressed without you being his microphone. If he can sneak off in the middle of the night to watch our pack, then he can speak quite well on his own. Good day, Miss Swan."

"So that's it for us then?" Emma asked. "We can't be friends anymore?"

"We're still friends, Emma. I just don't see why Henry is suddenly the subject of every conversation." She touched the blonde on the shoulder. "You're doing great with him." Both of them flinched as flour suddenly exploded from the back. They looked up at Jack and Benjamin covered from head to toe in flour. The white dust was covering every surface in the kitchen. Spencer and Aaron were sitting on the cart, the culprits for the crime. "How on earth did you get up there?" Regina murmured, cleaning them up. She took the boys into the back office to watch TV and hopefully occupy them for a while. They adored watching the older Disney movies and some of the kid shows on TV that Regina became annoyed with very quickly. She settled back to go over the books for Granny. When there was a knock at the door, she flicked her fingers to open it. Belle creeped in to take a seat. Spencer was the only one who tore himself away from the tv to greet his mother with his favorite thing: Eskimo kisses. Belle giggled and placed him in her lap as she sat down and he turned back to the tv.

"I'm guessing you already spoke with Emma." The bookworm said.

"Yep. Same topic as usual." Regina looked up, slamming closed her notebooks. "She and Neal did everything they possibly could to take Henry away from me. Before I found Ruby that night, I hadn't seen him in over 2 months. She's said more than once that Henry was her son and not mine and he has said several times that I wasn't his mother, that I'm the Evil Queen. Why is he suddenly sorry? Why not after I risked my life a thousand times to save him and idiots I don't care about? Why when I'm happy and have a good future, do they want to play nice now?"

"You touch people in profound ways, Regina." Belle replied. "Often bad ways, but some good ways too. That's how Emma, your arch enemy, fell in love with you and that's why Henry doesn't want to let you go."

Regina scoffed. "I don't care about any of that. Emma is my friend, but they all left me to rot and I won't forget that." she leaned back in her chair with a sigh. "Their entire mindsets are a load of bunk!"

Spencer threw up his hands and yelled "Bunk!"

"Damn it, Regina, his first word was supposed to be Mama." Belle said, covering her son's mouth.

"Damn it." Jack said with a grin.

Belle covered her mouth and Regina picked up her son. "Don't say that again, okay? Never say that." she said sternly to Jack. He nodded quickly, although she was sure he didn't really understand. "Ruby is going to kill all of us if she hears him say that."

The show ended and Regina quickly finished the rest of her work. They decided to take the kids to the park. "We should build the kids one when we get back."

"Regina they don't want to come inside as it is." Belle said, watching Benjamin and Jack chase each other, running funnily on their chubby little legs. Spencer was pulling up flowers and Aaron was playing with a ball he found. The mothers spent the day with their little ones in the park, trying to make sure they were exhausted when night came.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That evening, Emma invited Lily down to the station. She was waiting in front of the doors when the dragon appeared next to her and surprised her with a quick kiss.

"What's going on?" She asked.

"Well." Emma said. "I thought tonight would be a good night to tell my parents we're together."

The dragon immediately looked skeptical. "You know they're gonna hate the idea."

"Come on." Emma pleaded. She was hopeful that her parents would come around because she was quite tired of her family being so divided. She hoped to bring everyone back together and maybe even include Lily in things too. That was the plan, but easier than done. Up until she became mayor, she never really got to experience what being lonely at the top felt like. Now, she was surrounded by work and when she wasn't, she was dealing with Henry. That left little room for friendships or relationships. Only stolen moments with Lily. She wondered how Regina was able to do this stuff so easily. The queen was so occupied with the babies and the pack that they rarely spoke nowadays. Emma hoped to change that as well. Lily was still unconvinced by all this, but she followed Emma inside. Her parents and Neal were already there.

"What's the dragon doing here?" Neal asked.

"Already pissed and about to kick your ass." Lily shot back.

"Hey. Enough." Emma said. She looked at her parents. "Mom, Dad, I know we've had our differences in the past. I want you to know that I honestly don't regret a thing. But I would like to be a family again. If that's okay with you."

"I'm guessing there's a reason for this?" Charming said as Snow hugged her daughter.

"Also...I wanted to tell you that Lily and I are dating." The blonde paused to see their reaction.

"The dragon of all things?" Neal said, receiving a quick shot to the nose by Lily. He dropped to a knee, holding his bloody face.

"Emma." Snow started gently. "Don't you think that with so much...history between our families that someone else might be a better match?"

"Like the guy who knocked up your daughter and sent her to prison?" Lily asked. "He's better than me?" She looked at Emma. "Told you they'd hate it. I don't see why you bother."

"Because she's our daughter." Charming crossed his arms. "You might not care but she does."

"Only because she's never had real parents before." Lily returned. "And do you know why? Right, you put in a fucking tree and sent her to another world. That's great parenting by the way. I'm out of here, Emma before I kill one of them."

"Fucking-" Neal muttered but was unable to finish before Lily kicked him in the chest.

"Hey!" Charming yelled, reaching forward to grab Lily, but the dragon turned on him in an instant and slammed him against the wall by the throat.

"Do not ever try to touch me, baby snatcher." Lily growled.

"Lily, what the hell?" Emma said, helping Neal back up. Ruby and Mal teleported into the station, looking around for danger.

"What's going on?" The alpha asked.

"Him." Lily gestured to Snow. "Them. Self righteous bastards that I just cannot deal with to save my life!" She released Charming and took a step back. "The two of you make me sick. You want to say that I'm not good enough to date your daughter, and yet you run around ruining lives and protecting your own happy endings at the cost of everyone else! Do you know what really pisses me off?" Lily demanded. "You think everything is okay. You destroyed my life and took me away from mother, cursed me with your daughter's darkness and banished me to another world because you thought her life was more important than mine. Then you have the nerve to think an apology is all it takes to clear things up. You didn't even try to fix it. Emma was the one who brought me back. You are selfish. The Dark Curse wouldn't even have been cast if you actually focused on trying to stop Regina instead of trying to find ways to save Emma. You sacrificed your kingdom for Emma and for what? So she could be the Savior? Because the fucking **Dark One** said she would be?"

"We did what we thought-" Snow tried to say, but Lily raised her hand, magically constricting her throat.

"I don't give a shit what you thought."

"Lily. Calm down, okay?" Emma gently pushed her hand down and she released Snow. "Look at me."

Lily obeyed but she didn't give the blonde time to speak. "I don't care about their approval. I don't care about them. I do, however, care about you, and when you're done trying to please the assholes of the year," she opened the blonde's hand and placed the sheriff's badge in it. "Come find me. Until then, I think I should leave before I destroy them all." She turned to Neal. "As for you, you irrelevant son of a bitch...go to hell." She and Mal teleported away, leaving Ruby as the only member of the pack remaining.

"You brought Lily here to see what the Uncharmings would say?" The wolf asked. "No offense, but tell me you aren't that stupid. You know they were going to set Lily off."

"I was trying to put my family back together. They may've made mistakes, but they're still my parents." Emma said defensively. "And I wanted Lily to be a part of that."

"Everyone in the pack left because they don't want to be a part of you and this town." Ruby rolled her eyes. "You can't expect to have a perfect family after everything that's happened between all of us. Give it up, Savior." She glanced at Snow, who was helping Charming. "But I suppose you are your parents' child." She teleported away as well and Emma sighed.

"Emma-" Snow said, reaching for her daughter's hand.

"Save it. I'm going for a walk." Emma snatched her arm away and stormed outside.

/

After Lily had destroyed some trees and Mal had talked her down, she found herself sitting on top of their mountain beneath the apple tree. The sound of clinking armor alerted her to the sound of Mulan approaching.

"Hey."

"Hey."

Mulan threw her cape out behind her as she sat next to the dragon. "You okay?"

"I don't know." Lily shrugged. "I thought things were supposed to be easier when you found love. This is just a mess."

"Well, what happened?" Mulan asked. "You and Emma have a fight?"

"She wanted to talk to her parents and tell them we were dating. Of course they acted like assholes." Lily shrugged. "I was willing to make this work, but I want nothing to do with the Charmings. I don't see why she still does."

"They're her parents." Mulan replied. "She wants them in her life. They're not perfect, but she still loves them. They didn't say anything bad to you, did they?"

"Nothing I haven't heard." Lily waved the matter away. They sat in mutual silence for a while before Mulan stood back up.

"Come on. I think you should hit something a lot harder than a tree." She went over to the door leading down into the mountain and waited. Lily picked herself up, dusted herself off and followed. They sparred for a little while before going for a long Run. By the time they were done, Lily was pleasantly exhausted. She decided to have a relaxing soak in the lagoon before heading up to her room. Her mother was waiting.

"Mom? What's -"

"I don't know if I ever apologized." Maleficent interrupted. She pulled her daughter over to her bed and sat her down, pulling a necklace out of nowhere. "I wasn't strong enough to protect you and because of that...you didn't have a family growing up or love or...me." The blonde shrugged with a sad smile. She placed the necklace in Lily's palm. "I'd planned to give this to you when you got old enough."

It was a locket. She clicked it open and it showed two pictures. One of her and her mother that she'd taken not long after getting to Storybrooke. The other one was two pictures dividing the picture space equally. One was of a red dragon and the other was a blonde woman that bore a striking resemblance to Mal herself.

"That's your grandmother, Cynder. And the other is your father. I don't have a picture of him in human form, but I thought you'd like to see where you came from at least."

Lily smiled and hugged her mother. "Thanks Mom. And honestly, i love my life. I'm glad we're together now. This...this is beautiful. Thank you." she put it on and let it fall against her chest.

"I love you, Lily."

"I love you too, Mom." Lily scratched the back of her head and crossed her legs. "Do you think me and Emma can actually work out?"

"If you truly love her then it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks."

"I feel the same way. Things were going so well between us and it's like it's falling apart right in front of me. I just want to be with her. I don't care about anything else, not her parents, not anyone's approval, but…" she sighed. "It's just not that way."

Mal sighed as well and leaned back on her hands. "Well, my dear, if it is love, then keep fighting. Love is precious and so rare. Should I find that special someone then I would raze this entire town to defend them. Just as I would do with you."

"So you don't love the person you're offering your 'sexual services' to?"

"No. Sex is sex. Love is...much different." Lily laid back on the bed and Mal chuckled as she patted her arm. "Good night, dear."

"Good night, Mom." Maleficent poofed away and Lily was left alone to her thoughts. Her mother was right of course. She was glad she had people to talk to about things like this. The next day, it was her and Mulan's turn to watch the babies. Ruby was forcing the mothers to have a relaxing day so that meant a day off from being constantly on their toes. Lily knew this "day" was only going to be a few hours if Zelena and Regina had anything to say about it. They were at the lake, watching the kids play in the shallows and build sculptures out of mud.

"You and Emma make up yet?" Mulan happened to ask.

"I haven't talked to her." Lily shrugged. "I'll do it later. I'm sure she's not even worried."

"Well then, instead of pouting, help me and Benjie with this mud castle, huh?" The warrioress was once again without armor and instead wore jeans and a short sleeved shirt. She wore no shoes and already was covered in dirt and mud, laughing as Benjamin tried to put some in his mouth. "Don't do that. Your mothers will have my head if you do."

Lily smiled and slid over to assist. "I haven't played in the mud since I was a kid." Spencer, Jack and Aaron came over to help, babbling away to each other in their baby talk.

"I've never done this before." Mulan grinned. "It's fun."

"We're all going to need hot baths after this." Lily dug a hole in the soft earth and pushed more dirt over to the kids. These kids were so happy. They had the entire world at their disposal and wouldn't ever want for anything. The dragon felt better knowing that they wouldn't go through what she had. They had a pack to catch them when they fell.

In less than half an hour, they'd compiled a wall of mud as tall as the kids, who were gleefully running around inside it. The women heard a rustling in the bushes and both shifted on instinct, teeth bared and growling to defend the pups.

"Ow! Damn it." Emma tripped out of the bushes, fanning away bugs. "Lily? Is that you?"

Lily growled as they shifted back. "Emma, what are you doing out here?"

"I came to find you." Emma smacked her arm when a bug landed on it. "Why are there bugs everywhere? And why is it so hot?"

"Ruby controls the temperature near and inside the barrier. You're lucky we're just outside it."

"Do you guys want to be alone for this conversation?" Mulan asked.

"No." Lily said. "I'm watching the kids. A talk can wait."

"Lily, please, I know you're mad at me." Emma came forward to take her hand. "Please forgive me. I...I'm an idiot. I shouldn't have even considered last night. It was stupid and I'm so sorry."

"Apology accepted." Lily snapped her fingers, teleporting her girlfriend away. She returned to her place next to Mulan.

"Why'd you do that?" Mulan asked.

"Because we can talk later. Now, I think we can add another foot to this wall. What do you think?"

Mulan smirked. "I think you're right."

/

Regina and Zelena found them an hour later, covered from head to toe in mud. The mothers took the boys back in and gave them a good bath, one that was very long due to them jumping around and splashing in the water, but they managed. Regina lead Jack to his room to put him to bed, but found that he wasn't following her anymore. He was standing at the end of the hall with his hands on his knees in a slight crouch.

"What is he doing?" She asked Ruby.

Ruby turned around and grinned. "Oh, he's ready for a race. Get ready. Set. Go!" Jack squealed as he took off as fast as he could go into the room. Regina burst out laughing. Ruby swooped up Jack in her arms as they entered the master bedroom. Their little boy didn't like sleeping in his crib so they'd obliged him by letting him sleep with them some nights. Regina went into bathroom to change for bed and came out to find Ruby laying on her back balancing Jack on her feet in the air. Regina tickled him and kissed him as Ruby went to get ready for bed. When the wolf returned, Jack could hardly stay awake. He curled into a little ball between them, holding on to Regina. She smiled and looked up at Ruby. Ruby kissed her forehead and placed a gentle kiss to Jack's. Regina went to sleep surrounded by the love of her Dark Wolf and her little boy.

The next day Regina ventured out to the store, Jack following along at her heels. She raised an eyebrow as he picked a big box of cereal off the shelf and tried to put it in the cart. "What have I said about sugar?" She asked. He only grinned and held the box up higher. "Fine. You are ruining my reputation, dear. I'm supposed to be evil." She put the box in the cart and picked him up for a hug and to give him a kiss. "Who can be evil with a cute thing like you around? Alright, what's next?"

"Regina." Regina turned around, finding Robin standing behind her. He peeked around her to look at Jack, straining to reach a box of fruit snacks on the shelf.

"Can I help you, Robin?"

"Has it really been 9 months already?" He asked.

"No. Magic baby, dear." She replied.

"It's good to see you. You rarely visit the town nowadays." He said.

"I've been busy with renovations. And this one keeps me occupied." She took the box just as Jack managed it to reach it and placed it up higher. He actually glared at her, making her smile.

"Well, I'm glad to see you're doing well, and happy."

"Couldn't be happier." She shrugged.

"Do you think that you and Jack could one day visit the camp for dinner?"

"Perhaps." Both nearly leaped out of their skins when Jack suddenly screamed. Regina looked down as he took off down the aisle. "Jack!" She needn't have bothered because he was only running to Ruby, who'd tried to sneak up on them. Regina breathed a sigh of relief as Ruby came towards her, carrying Jack.

"You okay, babe?" Ruby grinned. "Looks like you were mid heart attack."

"I was." Regina said.

Jack leaned over towards the box of candy again. Ruby cocked an eyebrow and handed it to him. "Mommy wouldn't get you the candy?" She looked at Regina. "Bad Mommy."

Regina rolled her eyes and gestured to the shopping cart currently overflowing with food. "You know we spend like $700 a week on food, right? I say we just start a farm."

"A farm doesn't have cheesecake, which we both know you love." Ruby grinned. She took Regina's list and looked over it. "70% of this meat and 60% of that is Mal and Lily. You couldn't tell by looking at them that they could put away a ton of meat."

"Just like you and your junk food. I don't want Jack getting hooked on that stuff like you are."

"Yeah, yeah, healthy alternatives. I know. He's a wolf, Regina. Wolves are top of the line hunters, built for stamina, speed and power. Top of the food chain. He's gonna be in great shape and really healthy. How do you think I eat all the junk food I do and not get fat?"

Regina scoffed and crossed her arms. Ruby kissed her cheek and seemed to only just noticed Robin's presence. "Hey Hood. What's up?"

"Nothing. I was just saying hello to Regina."

Ruby snorted and threw Jack over her shoulder, making him laugh, and carried him off down the aisle and disappearing around the corner.

Regina smirked and turned back to Robin. "I'll think about that dinner, but as for now I have a great deal of shopping to do, so see you later, Robin."

"I haven't forgotten, Regina." He said, making her pause as she turned to leave. "Everything we talked about, the life we planned together. When we were soulmates."

"Were." Regina emphasized, looking over her shoulder. "That life is never going to happen. I wouldn't trade this for anything in the world. I'll give you the same advice I came Miss Swan: move on with your life. Enjoy the future **you picked.** You didn't choose me, so don't try to ease your way back into my life now." She turned back around and followed after Ruby. The werewolf was waiting in the produce section.

"I heard what you said. You okay?" Ruby asked in concern.

"I'm alright. I'm just sick of people suddenly feeling upset with their own actions. I'm happy, I don't really even care if I never see Robin again. I'll miss Roland of course, but Robin-not really. Now he wants to talk about some stupid life we planned together."

"What life?" Ruby asked.

"One where we live happily ever after." Regina shrugged. "I wouldn't even want it now. He's just like Emma." Ruby's silence on the matter made her look up to find the wolf watching her. "What?"

"A year ago today, I found you in the middle of the night, sitting on a rock in the middle of the forest. For the first time in my life, I plucked up the courage to talk to you. I've been through wars and battles, internal and external and yet, on that night, I felt like I achieve the impossible...and I did." Ruby smiled. "I spent the night with Regina Mills. We Ran through the forest and ate sweets under her apple tree. I fell in love with the Evil Queen, and I got her to fall in love with me. I got her to open her heart and see herself like I did. I got her to be my mate. We have a son, and a pack and a family. My happily ever after was always impossible...but it was worth the wait."

Regina almost cried at her sweet words. "I don't know what to say to that. That was beautiful."

"It is the truth. You and Jack mean the world to me. You say that I changed your life...well, you changed mine." Ruby blushed and looked down, placing Jack in the cart. When she looked back up, Regina placed a tender kiss on her lips.

"I don't deserve you, Miss Lucas. I hardly consider myself worthy." Ruby started to protest, but Regina put a finger over her lips. "But there is no way to describe how happy I am with the simple fact that you picked me. You easily couldn't had your pick from anyone in Storybrooke, and you chose the broken, beaten and forgotten old Evil Queen. No one has ever chosen me and wanted me just to be me. For that, Ruby, I will never be able to thank you. That is why as long as you are my mate, you will have my heart, my body and my soul. I love you, Miss Lucas. I can't even imagine a time when I didn't anymore."

Ruby grinned and kissed her finger. "Let's get out this store before I make love to you on top of these oranges."

Regina chuckled. "That would be horribly uncomfortable and quite a sight for our 1 year old son."

"He can just turn around and play with an apple. You know he'll be preoccupied for an hour."

Regina rolled her eyes. They checked out and teleported home, magically putting everything away. Jack went off to play with Spencer and Tink. The fairy gave them a silent nod and Ruby pulled Regina off to the bedroom and picked her up as they burst into the room. She kicked the door closed and let Regina fall onto the bed. Ruby quickly kissed her with as much passion as she could muster. "I love you so much Ruby." Regina moaned between kisses.

"I love you too, baby." Ruby whispered against her skin as she started kissing her neck, making her way downwards.

"We don't have a lot of time."

"Tink can put Jack down for us. No excuses, Mama." Ruby said. "It's been a while so I hope you can still keep up with me."

Regina smirked. "We shall see, my pet. We shall see." Ruby was without a doubt the best lover she'd ever had. Unlike Graham, her movements were mechanical and unlike Robin, she liked more than just the slow love making. Ruby knew when to be tender and sweet, and when to take the queen like a wolf. By now, she knew every one of Regina's sweet spots, all the things she enjoyed, and Regina knew hers as well. Due to being so in tune with each other's needs, it didn't take much to satisfy them. "Gods, I love you, Ruby." Regina purred, laying her head across the wolf's back as she stretched out on her stomach, both of them enjoying the pleasant bliss that followed their lovemaking. She sat up and sat down on the back of Ruby's thighs to give her a back massage.

"That feels amazing." Ruby said with a sigh.

"Well, my lovely alpha needs a break sometime." Regina replied. "By the way, I've been talking with Mal." She said, kneading any kinks out of the wolf's back.

"Oh yeah?"

"She knows a way to get rid of the darkness...for good. It's some sort of ancient ritual and it'll take her a while to prepare for it, but she said she'll do it." Ruby was quiet for a moment, but her mate could feel something was wrong. Regina rolled off her and lay next to her. "What's wrong?"

"Like this, I'm strong, Regina." Ruby said slowly. "I am the most powerful being here and I can protect our child and our family. What if I go back to being weak when you take out the darkness?"

"You were the one who wanted it out, dear. And besides, you are powerful. You can protect us. Just because you are the alpha doesn't mean the pack rests on your shoulders. You will never fight alone, Ruby. We'll be right beside you."

"What if there's a way to change it?" Ruby asked. "So that I keep my power but it won't be darkness anymore?"

"I don't know if there is, dear. You can't have light without darkness, my love. One needs the other."

"Of course it does." Ruby sighed and laid her head back down, only for it to shoot up again as someone pounded on the door. Regina magically clothed them and got up to answer it.

"Well, hello to you too." She said as Jack walked into the room and made straight for the bed. She smiled as she closed the door and climbed back into bed, her little boy curling up between her and Ruby.

Ruby smirked. "Aw, look at him, Regina. He's the cutest thing ever." She tickled him and he pushed her away, trying to snuggle under Regina to get away from her.

"Stop bothering him, Ruby, he's trying to go to sleep."

"When is he going to say his first words? He should be saying Mama by now." Ruby asked. Regina covered her face to hide her grin. He'd already said his first words, and it was nothing close to Mama.

"Damn it." Both of them jumped and looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Regina." Ruby growled.

"It wasn't me. It was Belle! I swear."

Ruby raced out of the room. "Belle!"

Regina looked down at Jack. "Thanks a lot. You realize you won't be candy and I won't be getting any nookie for a week for this." Jack only curled up against her and drifted off to sleep. A smile fought its way onto her lips and she found herself drifting off as well, listening to Ruby chew out Belle for cursing in front of the baby.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	12. Chapter 12

It was almost midnight when Lily padded up to the Mayor's office. The whole pack was off on their nightly run with the pups, leaving her free to take care of some business. She knocked on the door and heard Emma call for her to come in. The blonde was on her feet in an instant when she stepped in. "What are you doing here so late?"

"I could ask you the same question." Emma countered. Lily sat down on the edge of Emma's desk and the blonde came around to lean against it next to her. "You came to talk, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did." Lily sighed and looked down, interlocking her fingers. "I tried, Emma. I tried to be a protector, a Sheriff and a Deputy. I tried to get over my hatred and anger towards your parents. It took all of the past year to do that and in one night, I realized that no matter how much I care about you, I simply won't and can't tolerate them." She looked up at Emma, meeting her eyes. "I'm still willing to try and make this work, but not if you're still on this all of us being one big family kick."

"I want to make this work too, but not if I have to take a backseat to the pack all the time." Emma replied.

"They're my friends, Emma. They were there when I was just sitting alone in my house waiting for my mom to recover."

"You helped build the house, you don't owe them anything."

"And I don't owe **you** anything either." Lily said firmly.

"So you want to break up?" Emma asked.

"No. But I'm not leaving the pack and you still want everyone to be a happy family. There's too much blood and dirt and history between all of us for that to happen. If you can't accept that, then yeah...I guess we need to break up."

"I don't…" Emma sighed. "I don't want to lose you. I really don't."

"It's up to you." Lily stood up and walked forward. "Either you work with me on this or end it." She turned around. "I don't want to be strung along. I don't want to be someone's little pet or anyone's booty call." She could see Emma starting to get upset with the topic of conversation and knew she was about to run. It was what she always did. "Emma."

Emma answered with a soul searing kiss that took Lily's breath away. The blonde leaned away to speak, but Lily captured her lips with her own and ended any hope of conversation. Hands roamed, tongues caressed, a lamp got knocked over. Lily's purring drowned out Emma's moaning and the dragon could not have been more pleased as she lifted Emma onto her desk and moved between her legs, pulling the Savior close to her. Emma dug her hands into her hair, trying to pull her closer, kiss her even deeper. She wasn't sure how long they made out, but she was sorely disappointed when Emma's phone rang. Lily smirked, still standing between her legs as the blonde answered her phone out of breath.

"Now is not the time. I'm kinda busy."

Lily pulled out her phone as it started ringing and answered it. It was Mulan calling to tell her about a surprise that she and her mother had concocted. The dragon felt a rush of excitement when she hung up.

"Pack's calling?" Emma asked.

"Actually, Mulan and my mom have a surprise for me."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah. I wonder what it is."

Emma smiled. "I shouldn't keep you from it then."

Lily touched her cheek. "It can wait."

"No, I know how you are with surprises. Go ahead. How about dinner tomorrow?"

"Sounds great." Lily smiled and kissed her again. "I'll talk to you in the morning."

"Okay."

Lily made for the balcony, shifting into her wolf form and leaped down, taking off across the street and melting into the forest. She flew through the trees, fast and light-hearted after getting some good news on her relationship with Emma. She found the pack in the mangrove swamp, watching over the pups carefully and leaping around happily as they learned how to swim. Mulan came to greet her and she wagged her tail as she met her friend.

"My surprise. What is it? What is it?" Lily asked, bouncing excitedly on her paws.

Mulan shifted back into a human and held up a black bracelet. Lily shifted back as well. "Your mom made me this bracelet so I wouldn't have to wear my battle armor but I could always have it near." She showed her the red one on her wrist. "This black one is for you. We forged you some armor to help you feel better about what happened with Emma." Mulan shrugged, suddenly looking shy. Lily only grinned and took the bracelet and put it on. A red glow covered her form and her clothes were replaced with a badass looking suit of blood red armor with black accents.

"This is awesome!" She took off towards the others to show off her new armor.

"Work it, dragon." Ruby called. Tink and Merida howled in agreement.

"Wait. Lani, I need a cape. You have a cape. I need a cape." She waved her hand and conjured a matching cape that trailed the ground as she walked. "Look at me now." She grinned as she gave her mother and Mulan a hug. A simple press of the button transformed her armor back into her clothes.

After their nightly run and the pack went back to their mountain palace, Lily went into Mulan's specially designed room. It reminded her of the one she'd seen in Mulan's movie. Everyone had their own room that had their personal touch. Lily liked Mulan's. It felt open and free.

"Mulan?" Lily looked around and headed towards a door in the back. She knocked before stepping inside. Mulan was inside with her back to the door, naked and hips deep in a large pool of water. The dragon gasped and quickly turned around. "I am so sorry, Mulan. I didn't know. I-"

She heard Mulan turning in the water. "It's fine, Lily. Can you hand me my robe?"

"Um, sure." Lily grabbed the robe off the nearby hanger and held it behind her without turning around. Mulan took it and Lily waited a minute before turning around. "Sorry about that." She repeated, blushing deeply.

Mulan was blushing too, but she was mostly amused rather than embarrassed. "It's fine. Did you need something?" She asked, escorting Lily back into the main room.

"I just wanted to thank you for trying to cheer me up. It was really thoughtful of you."

"You're my friend, Lily. I hate to see you unhappy. Now that you have your own set of armor I'm not going to hold anything back when we spar."

Lily grinned. "Bring it."

/

Emma finally finished her work and went home. She stepped into the house and found Henry laying on the couch, half asleep, whispering to himself. She frowned in concern and removed her heels to walk forward, listening to his whispering. All she could make out were the words remember and once upon a time. "Henry? Henry. Wake up, kid." Henry's eyes snapped open and he quickly sat up. "Whoa, kid. It's alright."

"Oh. Hey Mom."

"What are you doing down here?"

He gestured to the table where a bunch of papers lay. "I was doing my homework."

"Henry, your homework should be done." She said. "Come on. Get up and into bed."

"No, I have to finish a project." He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"Bed. Now." She commanded, following him upstairs. He practically collapsed onto the bed and she sighed. "Good night, Henry."

"Good night."

She briefly worried over her son's schoolwork over the next few weeks. After a visit to his school, she found out that his grades had dropped somewhat, but they were still good so she let it slide. Both she and Lily had to be patient with each other, trying to meet up between their schedules. It was okay for a while, but Emma had a town to run, and Lily had a pack to have fun with and keep safe.

One day, she had finished her work early, a thing unheard of, and was in the process of calling her girlfriend to see if she wanted to have dinner with her and Henry. The line went straight to voicemail. A knock at the door signalled the arrival of Neal, holding a lunch from Granny's. "What do you want?"

"Just to bring you something to eat, Madame Mayor."

She rolled her eyes at him as he sat down and she clicked end call after yet another voicemail.

"Trying to call your dragon?"

"Stop calling her that."

He raised his hands in surrender and sat the food on her desk. "She won't answer. She and the rest of the pack are at the Rabbit Hole. Granny and the queen dragon are watching the little ones. Saw all of them go in a few minutes ago."

"You were spying on them?"

"No, just happened to notice how your dragon was all over Mulan. You sure you two made up?"

Emma sighed and reached into her top drawer and pulled out her pistol and laid it nonchalantly on the desk. "Disrespect her again."

"You know, you can't always get what you want by pointing a gun at someone."

She smirked. "Hasn't failed yet."

"Then you should probably point it at your dragon and make sure she knows who she's with. Because right now, I'm thinking she wants to try a little chinese food."

"You are an ass." Emma said slowly. "And a prick, and a bastard. You are a terrible father, a terrible deputy and a poor excuse for a man. I want you to understand something right now. You're fired. I don't ever want to see your face again and your time with Henry, will be limited to the weekends only. Now please, get the hell out of my office before I blow a hole in one of your kneecaps and call the ambulance to take you out on a gurney. Good day, Mr. Cassidy."

Neal glared at her and stood up. "So long, Madame Mayor. I see you've become the bitch Regina used to be. Even the Evil Queen is better than the Savior."

Emma glared at him as he walked out the door, slamming it on his way out. She grabbed the food he brought and threw it in the trash. She tried to call Lily again, but it went to voicemail again. With an angry huff, she grabbed her jacket and drove down to Granny's. The sign said it was closed, but Granny and Mal were inside with the kids. She tried to force thoughts of Lily cheating on her out of her mind. **She loves me. She wouldn't. Neal was just trying to be an ass. It's not true.**

"Hello Emma." Mal said, preoccupied with wiping Jack's mouth after he shoved an ice cream cone into his face, quickly finding that that wasn't the best idea. Granny was busy eating a sundae and feeding one to Aaron while Spencer and Benjamin messily ate an ice cream cone.

"Hey guys."

"Did you need something?"

"I um...tried to call Lily." She said.

"Oh, she left her phone at home. I think it might be dead. She hardly uses it so she never charges it fully." Mal replied. "Me and Granny sent them all to the Rabbit Hole for a night out. They'll be back in about an hour if Regina and Zelena have anything to say about it. I swear, they don't think we can watch four kids without anything bad happening for one afternoon."

"Sounds like them." Emma said. "I might go meet with them."

"They should still be there. Probably drunk off their asses." Granny commented.

"I remember the last time we got drunk and you shot me with your damn crossbow." Mal growled at her.

"Damn." Jack said with a grin.

Mal covered her mouth and Emma smirked a little as she left and drove down to the Rabbit Hole. She easily spotted Regina, Zelena, Belle and Ruby playing pool. Tink and Merida were dancing with a group of friends and Mulan and Lily were having a drinking contest it would seem. She walked over and put her hands on Lily's shoulders.

"What's up, Emma?" Lily said without turning around. "I'll be with you in a second. I just have to teach this upstart that you can't beat a dragon in a drinking game." Mulan only quirked an eyebrow at the challenge. A bartender brought over a tray of drinks and Lily lit them on fire. "Let's do this!" She downed one with ease and Mulan followed suit.

"I tried to call you." Emma said. "I wanted to have lunch together but I can see that you're too busy getting drunk." She crossed her arms, watching them go back and forth until they'd each completed 10 shots.

"Left my phone. Stupid thing never stays charged." Lily replied.

"You never let it fully charge." Mulan added. "And then you ignore the warning it shows when it's about to go dead."

"Well, I beat you in sparring last week." Lily licked her tongue as she signalled the bartender for another round.

"One match out of 13." Mulan smirked. Lily spat a fireball at her and her smirk widened into a grin as it merely washed right over her.

Emma felt a twinge of jealousy at how easy they were around each other. Lily wasn't quite like that with her, but she ignored it and waited for them to finish. Only when Mulan gave up after their 22nd drink did she push Lily's away from her. The dragon wasn't even slurring her words. Mulan wasn't either as a matter of fact, but she stated that she didn't like getting completely wasted.

Lily pulled her over to a quiet booth in the corner while Mulan went off to mess with Merida and Tink. "So…" She said as Emma returned with a glass of water and a coke. "What'd you need?"

"Well, nothing now. I wanted to get lunch, but you wouldn't answer your phone."

Lily shrugged. "Sorry about that."

"This is what you guys have been doing all day?" Emma asked.

"Just about." The dragon drank some water and gave her a funny look. "What's going on? I don't answer the phone once so you track me down? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, just...just some bull Neal was saying earlier today. It got me a bit riled up and I had to come find you."

"What'd he say?" Lily asked. Emma hesitated, knowing how it would make her sound like some possessive girlfriend who might actually believe Neal's lies. Lily arched an eyebrow, mimicking the queens that she often hung around, daring her to lie. Emma told her. "So you really thought I was cheating on you?"

"What? No! I know you, Lily. I know you wouldn't do that."

"Then why-"

"Because I wanted to have lunch. That's the only reason I came to find you. I know you and Mulan are just really close friends."

"Good." Lily growled. "I'll kill Neal later."

Emma nodded, sitting quietly and watching Lily closely. She felt like she'd upset her. "I didn't believe it, you know."

"Then stop saying so. If you really didn't believe him, then stop reiterating that you didn't. Just drop it, I don't want to talk about this."

Emma said nothing more, watching the agitation grow on the brunette's face. "I guess I should go."

"No, Emma-"

"It's fine. I'm sorry I spoiled your party mood." Emma stood up quickly and turned to leave. She expected the dragon to come after her, but she didn't. Shit! Why couldn't she have just a normal relationship for once? Then again, she was dating a dragon. That was about as normal as one could get in Storybrooke. She went home and tried to figure out how they were gonna get through this. Henry came home and they ate dinner. It helped to take her mind off of things, but not completely. It was about midnight and she was sitting on her bed, when Regina appeared in her room, dressed in a long black evening gown. "Hey."

"What are you doing, Miss Swan?"

"You mean with Lily? No freakin' idea."

Regina looked around the room, noticing an empty bottle of wine on the bedside table, before sitting next to her. "Do you love her?"

Emma hesitated. She and Lily had never spoken about love. They never said I love you. "I believe so."

"Then stop beating around the bush. You listened to Neal and it'll only screw everything up, just like it's done. Lily has proven her loyalty to you. She gave up her quest for vengeance for you, she tolerated your parents after everything they've done because of you, she took care of people as the sheriff and deputy that she didn't give a damn about. For you."

"Don't you think I know that?" Emma demanded angrily.

"Then why are you sitting here?"

"Because she doesn't want to talk to me, and she won't until she's ready. We both know that." She sighed. "I told her what Neal said and she took it the wrong way."

"Miss Swan, you've been going back and forth with Lily for almost a year now. Keep it up and she's going to get tired. Dragons are notorious for their patience but we both know Mal must've skipped past that trait when she passed them on. Neal said she was all over Mulan? Keep doubting her and you'll be pushing her right into Mulan's arms, and Mulan into hers."

"Why do you even care?"

"Because Lily is my friend, technically my goddaughter actually. So are you."

" **You're** my **friend**?" Emma laughed. "Regina, you were my friend last year for a few weeks and then nothing. I get you had a baby and all, but you basically cut off all ties with me and Henry. Not to mention Miss Big Bad Wolf always in the way, treating you like some possession instead of a person. You've acted like you want nothing to do with this town, including me."

"Emma!" Regina roared. "First of all, do **not** disrespect my mate again. Secondly , yes, I did have a baby and so did my sister. Do you know how much time 4 infant children consume?"

"Right, I wouldn't know because I didn't raise Henry, right?" Emma hissed, trying to stand, but nearly falling flat on her face. The queen caught her and waved her hand, clearing the fog from her brain.

"Do not self-destruct, Emma. Do you hear me?" She helped the blonde back onto the bed. "Throw out the liquor and take some time off work. Happy Endings, love, a family, they don't just fall out of the sky. Believe me, I know. I want you to be happy, Emma and enjoy life. But I don't want you to break Lily's heart. I don't want to see you break either. Not like I did." The queen teleported away, leaving Emma to ponder her words.

/

Lily looked up at the moon. She let out a heavy sigh and crossed her arms as her gaze traveled down to the water. The cold, calm water. Why did she always run when stuff like this came up with Emma? Why was this such a normal occurrence that she had to even ask that question? She stripped out of her jeans and shirt, wearing nothing but a black bikini underneath and dove into the water, the icy depths sending a shock to her senses. Swimming felt so good. Swimming in cold, dark water that made the fire burn in her belly. Once the water started to feel warm, she made for the shore and climbed onto the bank and sat down. A warm towel was thrown around her shoulders and Mulan sat next to her.

"You never come out here by yourself unless you have a good reason. Usually, something happened with Emma."

"Is our relationship that crazy?"

"No, it's not. What's wrong?"

"Neal was being Neal, a complete insufferable bastard son of a bitch, and he told Emma that I was cheating on her...with you."

"What?" Mulan frowned. "Me? Why me?"

"I don't know." Lily shrugged. "I just wish things were so much easier. Like Regina and Ruby. They never fight...unless it's over something stupid. Then they make up with sex and everything's all good. But no. Emma's as crazy and messed up as I am."

"That's why you care about her, Lily." Mulan said. "Because she's like you."

"No wonder this is hard as hell then."

"It doesn't have to be…"

Lily turned to look at Mulan. Mulan met her gaze evenly. "What do you mean?"

"I think you know…"

/

It took forever for Emma to trek out to the small lake that she knew Lily liked to visit. She wanted to apologize, to once again try and come up with a plan to make this work. She didn't want to lose Lily. Not after they'd tried so hard and come to so far. She believed that they could be together one day without all the complications, that they could make it work. Neal and his lies could go to hell. What she didn't expect to find was Lily sitting on the bank in a bikini with Mulan… What she saw, she wished she hadn't...

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Read and Review! Sorry for any mistakes!

A/N: What do you think Emma saw? Next chapter we'll refocus on RedQueen and explore a little of the WickedBeauty love. And of course the little ones. Also, who is our dear Maleficent sleeping with? Find that out next chapter too. I'll have it up as soon as I get some good reviews. The more reviews, the faster I'll update.


	13. Chapter 13

Emma felt sick, watching them smile and laugh and hug things out. It felt like a private moment that shouldn't have included her. They must've known she was near because Mulan started talking quietly and making motions with her hands. Lily nodded and hugged her again before teleporting her away. Lily stood up and dusted herself.

"Emma Swan! Come out, dear."

Emma sighed and stepped out of the bushes. "Before you get mad…" she said, stiffening when the dragon started marching towards her. She raised her hands as if to stop her but Lily grabbed her roughly and kissed her hard enough to make her see stars for a moment. "What, um... what was that for?"

"Because i love you. Because I don't care how long it takes, but we'll figure out how to do this and make this work. Do you hear me, Emma? I love you, more than anything."

"I-I...love you too, Lily."

Lily grinned and kissed her again, lifting her into the air for a minute. "I want you to be my happy ending, Emma. I don't care if we have to go through hell to make that happen, but I will. I'm not giving up on us."

Emma was nearly ready to burst into tears. She couldn't even speak, she was so happy. "I-I'm so sorry about-"

"Don't be sorry. About anything. Please."

Emma nodded. "I should really apologize to Mulan, I think."

"You can do that tomorrow at our double date."

"What?"

"Yeah! She's been dating someone in secret and I want to know who it is? Do you think it's Merida? They've been pretty chummy lately. I'm gonna figure this out, I swear." Lily said, firmly.

Emma smiled. "Think on it tomorrow. Tonight...do you think you could stay over at my place?"

Lily grinned again. "Hell yeah. I get to finally make you mine? A year is a long time you know."

Emma rolled her eyes as Lily picked her up and threw her over her shoulder. "I meant to sleep. Literally sleep. Not-"

"Too late." Lily teleported them into her bedroom and slammed her on the bed. She gingerly removed the locket around her neck and placed it on the bedside table and threw up a sound barrier. "You sure about this?" She wanted to confirm.

Emma pulled on top of her. "You're right. A year is a long time. Thanks for sticking with me through it."

"I'm the one who should be thanking you, Emma. I don't do that enough." They shared a shy smile before desire set in and any shyness, any talking, went out the window.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

All her life, she had not been wanted. She had been a burden that had been discarded by Cora and hated by her adoptive father. Wicked. She learned that word before she learned to say Mama, before she learned her own name. She was always wicked. "That wicked child." "That wicked daughter." "That wicked witch." After a while, she got used to it. People were going to call her that anyway, why not own the title? Why not make it hers? That's what Zelena had grown up with. That wickedness had spread to her heart and turned it black with envy and hatred and now...she was free of it. She was wanted. She was loved beyond measure. She had 3 beautiful boys to care for and teach and there was a powerful desire within her to ensure they didn't grow up the way she had.

Looking at her sleeping children now, Zelena couldn't help but smile. She wondered how someone as wicked as she could make something so bright and perfect? It was probably because of Belle. Not far away was their bed and in it, lay her precious bookworm. She gave the boys the once over again and climbed into bed. Belle jerked awake. "It's fine. Relax, dearie." Belle sighed and opened her arms. Zelena fell into them with a smile, loving the feeling of her body entangled with her lover's. Belle was not a fighter. In fact, she even hated confrontations. But Zelena had never felt safer than when she was with her favorite brunette. Belle was protective and fun loving and free and such a sweetheart. She made everything Zelena had ever gone through...worth it.

"Ow, Zelena. My hand." Belle said softly. Zelena lifted herself slightly so she could readjust her arm until she was firmly clasping the witch's butt. "Mmh, better."

Zelena laughed softly and kissed her cheek. "You are silly."

Belle peeked out of one eye. "And you need to rest. There is nothing that could happen to our children. They are safe and sound in our den. No one can come here without getting past the barrier and even if they do, Ruby has a dozen traps set up just in case."

"I know, but...I want to do this right. I want them to be okay and-"

"Ssshhhh. You worry too much." Belle put a finger over her lips. "Calm that raging brain of yours."

"Belle-"

Belle tenderly kissed her lips and gave her a pointed look. "Sleep, my witch. We can talk when the children have awoken us promptly at 6 in the morning."

Zelena smiled. "Okay." She sighed and cuddled up even closer to the former librarian.

"Good witch." Belle purred sleepily.

Zelena purred at her words. "I love you, Miss French."

"I love you too, Miss West."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The dinner was all set up. Lily was waiting anxiously for Mulan and her date to show up. Emma just snacked on their appetizer of cheese fries. "Why are you so worked up?"

"Because Mulan's my best friend and she's dated this person for the past 3 months without a word. I didn't even notice." Lily replied. "Just a little concerned about why they want to keep it a secret."

"Things don't ever stay a secret for long in Storybrooke." Emma reasoned, glancing around at the other patrons of the diner. The bell above the door rang as someone came in. It was Mulan, dressed casually in jeans and a long sleeved red shirt. She sat down across from them.

"My date is running a little late. You guys order?"

"Mulan, we don't care about food." Lily said. "Who's your boyfriend?"

Maleficent suddenly appeared in the seat next to Mulan, a smirk playing on her lips. "I think you mean girlfriend."

"No...way." Emma grinned. Lily stammered for about a minute, but Mal stopped her by putting a finger to her lips.

"I know this must be a shock, Lilith. I met Mulan soon after waking up from my hibernation. I was in heat just as you were and let's just say the dragon gets what the dragon wants." She looked over at Mulan, who was smiling and blushing girlishly. "I hope this doesn't bother you. I have no intention of letting this one slip through my claws."

"Why didn't you guys tell me?" Lily asked.

"We weren't sure how you would take it." Mulan replied. "And your mother loves to flirt with the line of not getting caught." Mal grinned and kissed the warrior's temple.

"Weren't sure?" Lily said. "This is awesome. I'm glad you two are happy." She looked at her mother. "This is the one you've been lending your sexual services to?"

"Indeed. She's rather delightful." She looked at Emma. "You have nothing to worry about Mulan trying to steal Lily from you. Believe me, she's well taken care of and I am glad my daughter has you. I'm not sure if anyone has told you this enough, Miss Swan, but you are a good person and a good woman with a strong heart. You make me feel even more pride in my daughter knowing that she has chosen such a woman to be her mate." Emma blushed deeply from the elder dragon's words. "I'm happy for you both."

"We're happy for you too, Maleficent." Emma said. "You and Mulan. I think you guys make a cute couple."

A genuine smile touched Mal's lips when she looked at Mulan again, her cheeks turning a light shade of red as the warrior leaned her head against her shoulder. It was a sight to see, the Mistress of All Evil blushing. It was so cute and so out of character for her.

"Enough about us." Mulan said. "How about we order some food and eat? Huh?"

"I agree." Lily added, signalling a waitress.

"By the way…" The warrior looked at Maleficent. "I'm pregnant."

Maleficent stared at her. "What?"

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Read and Review!

A/N: Short and sweet. RedQueen in next chapter.


	14. Chapter 14

Regina was sitting on the rock, the same one she'd sat on a year ago in the middle of the night. The same one where Ruby had found her sitting upon. She was looking at the little creek with her knees pulled up to her chin, smiling to herself. Jack was nearby in his little wolf form, playing with a stick. Every few minutes or so he might run off and Regina would make a clicking sound with her mouth. Jack would answer it with a clicking noise of his own to let her know that he was near or run back and scrunch up his nose and she scrunched hers back at him and he'd run off to play again. Today had been a grueling day what with either trying to find a cure for Ruby's darkness or trying to break the aging curse on the town. At the very least find out who cast it, but they hadn't found much to go on. She longed to curl up in bed, but Jack had been cooped up all day so she'd decided to take him with her on a walk along the trails. It'd been awhile since she ventured to this spot, and once she found it again she had to sit down and enjoy how much things had changed. However, she knew they weren't alone. "Henry, do please stop spying on me. I think that's considered stalking." she heard him step out of the bushes.

"I didn't think you'd be here." Henry said, stepping into her field of vision.

"Henry, your scent is constantly here and don't think I haven't noticed that you wait for us to make our nightly Run." Regina retorted. "Now why are you following me?" She paused to make the clicking noise. Jack answered immediately only a few feet away.

"You changed. You never acted this way with me." Henry accused. "You didn't do what you were supposed to do. You just-"

Jack suddenly came barrelling out of the bushes, teeth bared and growling with his hackles raised. Regina chuckled as he placed himself between her and Henry. "He doesn't seem to like you very much." she commented.

"Tell him to back off." Henry took a step back and Jack kept coming.

"Jack, come here, my love." She opened her arms and he raced into them, shifting into his human form and happily burying himself in her neck. "You were saying, Henry?"

"Um...you changed-"

"So you'd rather have me miserable and dying alone in my mansion than being happy and living free with people that actually care about me?"

"No, but-"

"Henry, I think you should accept the way things are now and move on with your life. Don't waste it on me." She said. She glanced up at the darkening sky. "Get home to Emma before it gets too late."

"Fine then." He hissed. "You won't have to worry about me anymore. You won't even see me."

"Bye." She stood up and stretched and shifted into her wolf form. Jack followed suit, his tail wagging as he walked between her legs. Regina purred fondly and started back home. They arrived back at the den as the sun set and she went straight to her room and lay down on the bed, changing into her human form. Jack changed back as well, but he started sniffling when he couldn't climb onto the bed. Regina smirked and hung her leg off the bed, which he used to shimmy up. He curled into her side with a satisfied sniff. "Cute thing, you." she felt asleep a few minutes later and awoke early the next morning to find Ruby stretched out next to her. In the months past and Mulan had announced her pregnancy, her mate, Maleficent had saw to it to take care of her every need, whatever that might be. And now the warrior was close to giving birth. When Regina got up to fix breakfast, she found Mal already in the kitchen.

"Mulan is claiming she's starving so I'm fixing her something eat." The dragon said.

"Has the pregnancy been going well?" Regina inquired, picking up Jack so he could sit to the table.

"Well enough. She is close and I am very nervous."

"You won't be alone, dear." Regina assured her. "What about Ruby's situation?"

"Everything is almost set."

Regina nodded. "I think she's starting to rethink it."

"Power is seductive." Mal replied. "I don't worry about you two though. Things will work out."

"If you say so." she sighed. "Do you...do you think I did good with Henry?" She asked after a few moments.

"Absolutely. Don't worry about him anymore. He chose his path." Mal patted her on the head and resumed cooking. "You have another little boy that needs your guidance."

Regina looked over at Jack, playing with an apple in his chubby little hands. Her little boy. She was right. Her true family should be what she concerned herself with. Jack looked up and grinned happily and she smiled...before he threw the apple and she ducked as it landed on the table, knocking Mal's food everywhere. The dragon growled and slowly turned around. Jack screamed when she grabbed him and lifted him onto her shoulders. Mal grinned and swung him around to tickle him until he was gasping for air. Regina smiled. Her little boy.

 **Bath Time**

"Jack, get out of the ball pit." Regina sighed. She was standing in the doorway of the large room filled with colorful little balls. Her son was somewhere hiding, refusing to take his bath. "Jacks. Come on, dear. I am very tired."

"No want bath." He called.

She looked around, trying to find him. "You have to take a bath."

"No. Mama, please." He whimpered.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked, coming to her side.

"The usual."

Ruby turned to the balls and dove into them. Jack squealed and two bumps racing each other in circles was all Regina could see. She smirked to herself until Ruby finally emerged holding their pouting son. She carried him to the bathroom and put him on the floor. "Now, into the tub." Jack continued to pout as he climbed into the warm bath, fully clothed. Ruby frowned. "You know that's not what I meant."

Regina magically removed his clothes and sudsed up the water with a smile. She picked up a washcloth and Jack tried to dive underwater, but he had nowhere to go. "Hold him, Ruby." Ruby pulled him up and held him still while Regina scrubbed him from head to toe. He fought valiantly, but ultimately succumbed to superior strength. When he was clean, Ruby picked him up and placed him on the floor while Regina magically blasted him with warm air, drying him off, and put on his clothes. "See? Now was that so bad, Jacks?" He only huffed.

"Looks like we don't need a bath tonight." Ruby said, gesturing to how wet they were from fighting Jack. Regina smirked as Jack ran out of the room. They dried off and went downstairs to where the other little ones were sitting, getting cookies from Tink for being good boys. Aaron was off pouting in a corner. "What's wrong with Aaron?"

Zelena glanced up. "Aaron didn't want to take a bath so he can't get a cookie."

"Jack didn't either." Ruby said, looking at her son who froze as he was about to take a bite of his prize. "Jack, do you deserve that cookie?"

"No." He said softly, looking up at her with pitiful looking eyes. While he had his head turned away, Regina leaned over and bit off the whole thing. He turned back around and scowled, reminiscent of Regina's mad face. "Mama, you ate my cookie!"

"You did not deserve the cookie. You did not want to take your bath." Regina said, trying to keep a stern face through a mouthful of chocolate. It was terribly unconvincing, but the cookie was delicious and she helped herself to another one. "Mmm. These are delightful. Want another one, Benji?" He nodded and reached for the cookie she extended, only to snatch it back. "Sike!"

"Regina, that's enough chocolate." Ruby said. The mothers and kids retired to the game room where Belle put on a movie for them to watch.

"What are we going to do about school?" Belle asked as the four mothers sat in the back of the room, watching over their little ones while lounging on a bed of pillows.

"You really want them to go to the one in Storybrooke?" Ruby frowned.

"I'm just saying they need proper schooling."

"You three are like the smartest people ever. You can't teach them what they need to know?"

Regina scoffed. "The crap they consider relevant in this world is confusing and nonsense. But what if the kids want to go to college or something. We wouldn't want them to be behind."

"Get them enrolled when they're old enough?" Belle asked.

"So they can be treated like crap for being our children?" Ruby suddenly snarled. "You know that's how they'll be." Her eyes started glowing. "I won't let them hurt my son."

"We know, Ruby." Regina said soothingly, stroking the wolf's hair until she calmed down. "We know, and we would never subject them to that. Perhaps when they're old enough to defend themselves at least."

"That would be perfect." Zelena agreed. "Wait until they're...maybe 10? Sound good?"

"I think that will work. And we can still make sure they're up to speed." Regina nodded. She looked at Ruby.

"I don't trust those children." The wolf growled. "You know how cruel children can be. They'll have our kids thinking that there's something wrong with them, that they aren't as good. I don't want Jack to feel like that."

Regina smirked. "Jack is **our** child, my dear. Never forget that. He is our perfect little boy."

 **Eating**

"Damn it, Jack, stop spitting out your food." Ruby sighed, dabbing his face with a cloth. He turned his head so she couldn't reach him. Eventually she gave up and turned back to eating her own food, a grilled burger and some fries. Granny's was quiet this time a day. Despite moving away from town, she did love the diner and often took Jack in with her when she reported for duty or was just missing the familiar place or her Granny. Granny herself came over with some coffee and sat down, smiling at Jack, who returned it with a big grin. He adored his Granny and she spoiled him rotten by sneaking him treats and toys that Regina would have a fit if she found out about. Still, the spitting food thing needed to stop. "Jack, I swear…"

"He's a little boy, Ruby." Granny chuckled, watching Ruby struggle to wipe his mouth again. "You did the same thing when you were a babe."

"I know-" Her words were cut off by the 'ping' of her phone. She took a bite out of her burger and picked up the phone, smiling and chewing when she saw that she got a picture message from her mate. She opened it and immediately started choking at the sexy photo. Granny reached over to pat her on the back as she coughed up the half eaten burger. "Oh gods." Ruby rushed to get some water and returned with a sigh. Jack was looking at her like she was crazy. "I'm fine, thanks. Your mama is trying to kill me." She grinned and looked at the photo again. It was of Regina laying on the bed on her stomach, completely naked. That woman was just utter perfection and asking for a spanking tonight.

"What did Regina want?" Granny asked.

"Nothing. Just wanted to annoy me." Ruby chuckled to herself and picked up her burger again. She noticed Jack staring at her, watching her closely. "Jack, I'm fine. Relax." She assured him before taking a bite. Jack screamed and threw himself on top of her, knocking the food away and nearly making them fall out of the booth. "Jack, what the-" It was then that she realized he was about to cry. "No, Jack, don't cry. Please don't cry. I'm okay, I promise." she said, cradling him to her chest. "It's okay." She smiled to herself at her brave son willing to risk his life to save her from a cheeseburger. She looked down at the destroyed delicacy. Damn, that was a good burger.

 **Jealousy**

Even with Jack around, Regina made sure to make time for her nephews. Aaron was the resident troublemaker, sporting dark red hair and blue eyes just like her sister. Benjamin and Spencer took after Belle with their darker hair and eyes. They were no less cute and she made sure to spoil them every chance she could get. She was going to be the fun aunt, of that she was going to make sure. She often worried about Jack's behavior with his mothers and if this would lead to future conflict. Especially how the way he reacted with Ruby and her burger and nearly jumping into the lake after Regina when he thought she was drowning. She got her answer one night when they set up for movie night. Benjamin ran into her arms and she picked him up and put him on the couch next to her. He grinned, making himself comfy. She heard a grunt and smirked as Jack forcibly made his way into her lap. "My mama." He said, glaring at Benji.

"Cut it out, Jacks. That's your cousin. Benji, you comfy?" He nodded meekly and accepted a bucket of popcorn from Ruby. The rest of the pack took their seats either with a snack, a drink or a child.

"My mama." She heard Jack mutter. He reached for Ruby, who sighed with a smile as she sat on the floor next to Regina's feet. He reached out and patted her head and shoulder. "My mamas."

 **Love**

One morning when Regina and Ruby awoke, they were covered in flowers, dozens of wildflowers...and dirt. They sat up in confusion until they found the hopeful looking culprit standing next to the bed.

"Flowers for Mamas?" Jack said. "Pretty flowers. Pretty Mamas."

Regina smiled and pulled him into her lap, wiping off his dirt covered hands. Ruby magically collected the flowers in vases and placed them around the room, at the same time cleaning up all the dirt. "Sweet boy." The mothers purred over their loving child, kissing him and tickling him until he was out of breath. Their perfect little boy.

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The next event that drew their attention was the birth of Mulan and Mal's children. It was a long labor and rough on the mother. No babies were born, instead technically, eggs were laid. When Mulan's job was done, Mal had to take over, roasting the eggs with her fire and incubating them for another 6 hours. Mulan had to be healed with magic and slept for all of those 6 hours as she recovered. When the eggs started hatching, the entire pack gathered around the newborn sized eggs. A tiny fist broke out of one, followed by the sound of crying. Mal helped her newborns into the world, slowly breaking off piece by piece of the egg until a hole was big enough to pull them through. The newest additions to the pack was a little dark haired boy and a golden haired girl. Mulan named the boy, Shang, and Mal named the girl, Marie.

/

As the years swept by, each of the little pups of the Lucas pack grew into young wolves and their unique personalities started to show. Spencer was just like his brunette mother, a sponge for all things knowledge. By the time he was 9, he was fluent in four languages. Benjamin was the same way, only slightly different in that he was more concerned with learning everything there was to know about magic. He had plenty of teachers for that subject. Aaron and Shang were the typical rough housing boisterous boys, although Shang was far more disciplined and loved martial arts, whereas Aaron was very hard headed and started training to be a warrior. Marie was every bit a dragon princess, having adopted Mal's blonde hair and blue eyes and haughty attitude. Jack, was his mothers' son. With Regina's attitude, boldness and sass, combined with Ruby's loyalty, fearlessness and lust for life, he was the perfect blend of his mothers and was without a doubt the more mature of the youngsters. But the day was drawing closer when they would be allowed to go to school. The other children in town had not aged in the last 10 years and in fact whatever spell had been cast was starting to make them not even care or notice. Seeing as how the others didn't quite know what to do, they just let the kids continue through school, almost as though they were back under the curse. Emma had no leads on who could've caused it so there was little that could be done about that, but the mothers sought to make their kids' transition easier. They created a large metal box that would sit in front of the school and would only open to the touch of their children. With it, the kids could throw in their backpacks and it would magically send them home so they wouldn't have to carry it. They could even pop through if they wanted. Regina, Belle and Zelena had done most of the academic teaching. Mal, Mulan, Ruby and Merida had done the physical training and teaching a few ways to fight if necessary. Regina didn't want her son fighting but if the need arose, he was going to win. They had a reputation to keep of course.

Regina smiled, watching Jack adjust his shirt in the mirror. One of Emma's first acts as mayor was to do away with school uniforms since she hated those when she was a kid, so he had plenty to choose from. Since the weather was warm now, he chose a simple black t shirt and blue jeans with dark tennis shoes. He wore a symbol of the moon necklace around his neck and his hair, which was so long it brushed his shoulders, was neatly held back into a ponytail. He was a handsome boy, blessed with the good looks of both of his mothers. "You nervous?" she asked.

"Of what?" He replied, turning to face her. He was already tall for an 11 year old. Despite their agreement at starting school when they were 10, the oldest would be starting at 11 after arguing that Shang and Marie wouldn't be 10 at the time, so they'd waited another year.

"First day of school."

"It's not like they're going to teach me anything I don't know and you know I could care less about the other kids."

Regina smiled and kissed the top of his head. "I know you'll do well."

"Thanks Mom. Where's Ma?"

"I'm not sure, but I know she wouldn't miss your big day. Come on, breakfast is waiting." She took the lead down to the dining room where the pack was gathered. Benjamin was laughing as he used magic to make his omelette stand up and walk. Zelena scolded him and he finally started eating it. Aaron was shoveling his in his face and Spencer was already done. Shang and Marie were on their second plate. Jack quickly took a seat and Lily placed some food in front of him.

"Eat up, Big Guy. You excited?"

"I could honestly care less." He replied.

Lily laughed. "You guys gonna do any sports? Get involved?"

"No." They all said in unison.

Regina smirked and went looking for her mate. She searched the entire den and finally found her pacing beneath her apple tree, almost crushing Daniel's ring in her fist. "No, no, no. Go away." She was pouring with sweat and Regina bet she didn't get any sleep last night. "Stay away from my kids. Stop talking!"

"Ruby." Regina magically cleaned her up and pulled her close. Ruby all but crumpled into her and she slowly lowered them both to the ground. "Sssh. It's okay, Ruby."

"It's not!" Ruby snapped. "The darkness...it's talking. It wants to be used. I can't…"

"Everything is set, Ruby. Mal said we can take it out of you. You're the one who keeps putting it off. Don't let the darkness seduce you into staying any longer. You don't need it. You're strong enough without it." Ruby didn't look at her so Regina pushed her off gently and took her by the face, freezing when she realized that it wasn't Ruby's face she was looking at. Well, it was Ruby's, but it wasn't Ruby who was looking at her back.

"Hello, dear." Ruby growled, voice now a deep baritone and eyes glowing gold. A blackness started to spread across her skin, golden lines cracking the surface where her veins were. "You have made us weak with your love and making children." It said. "Your little wolf waited too long. Now...she's gone."

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	15. Chapter 15

Ruby slammed Regina against the tree, her hand wrapped around her throat. "Give me back my girlfriend!" Regina hissed, kicking her in the face with both feet. Both of them hit the ground and she scrambled around when Ruby grabbed her by her hair. Her nails made deep gouges in the earth and ripped massive pieces of bark off her tree as she tried desperately to fight back.

"You have become our weakness. The darkness is not weak."

"Ruby, fight it!" Regina managed to break the wolf's hold on her hair and landed a hard punch to her chin. Ruby stumbled back and Regina sent a quick message to Zelena with magic before tackling her mate to the ground.

Below in the den, Zelena was busy making biscuits, listening with a smile to the chatter of her family behind her.

"What do you mean I can't use magic at school?" Benjamin said loudly.

"Because you could hurt someone." Belle answered.

"What if one of those little pricks deserve it?" Aaron asked. Zelena smirked when she heard a smack at Belle hitting him in the back of the head.

"No fighting." Mal commanded. "For any of you."

"Yes ma'am." Shang said.

"I can't promise that." Said Marie.

Zelena turned back to kneading the biscuit dough when she noticed a message appearing in the flour. _Get the kids out. Now. Top of the mountain. Ruby._ "Shit." She grabbed Mal and showed her the message and the mothers leaped into action. "Time to go guys, get your bags and head out." Belle and Tink quickly got them ready to go and headed out to the magically elongated truck that would comfortably take them to town. Once the kids were safe outside the border, Zelena lead the charge to the top of the mountain. She found Regina beneath a pile of carnage. Claw marks and apples were everywhere. The great apple tree had been broken in half and Regina was crushed beneath a large piece of it. "Regina!" Mal and Lily lifted the tree and Mulan helped her drag her sister out of the wreckage. "Regina? Please don't be dead."

"Let me see." Merida leaned down to check her pulse. "She's breathing."

"That can't be possible!" They turned around to find Ruby standing behind them, her skin black as night with golden veins tracing across it. Her eyes glowed golden and her voice was unrecognizable, deep and almost baritone. "The darkness must kill the weakness to be strong. I must...kill all of you."

"Fuck you." Lily hissed. "We're getting our friend back."

"She is gone."

"Then we'll just kill you anyway." she shifted and attacked, but Ruby dodged, running to slam into Maleficent and knock her down. Zelena and Merida tried shooting her, to no avail. The Dark Wolf was much too slippery. Mulan managed to slow her down with a perfectly timed toss of her sword that she had to stop in order to avoid. That gave Mal time to grab her around her middle and used dragon strength to crush her ribs. She grabbed the wolf's maw and yanked her mouth open, breathing fire down her throat. The darkness reacted violently, exploding from Ruby's throat in a writhing mass of black tendrils stretching into the sky.

"Lily! Now!" Both mother and daughter changed into their dragon forms and set fire to the darkness. Zelena raised her hands, applying her magic as well. They maintained the steady stream of light, but it wasn't enough. They needed more magic, more light, more fire. Tink soon returned to add in her power but they were still short. Zelena didn't believe it would happen, but Regina got back to her feet, an angry scowl on her face. She raised her hands, unleashing a shockwave of white and black fire to attack the darkness. It lit up the sky and she was sure it was visible for miles around. Then everything just…exploded.

/

When Regina opened her eyes, the entire top of the mountain had been destroyed, her tree nothing than a piece of black bark. The rest of the pack was slowly picking themselves up to assess the damage. One thing that stood out to her though was her beloved, her mate, Ruby, standing in the midst of it all, looking exhausted but otherwise unscathed. Regina wasted no time in limping into her arms and kissing her lips, making sure she was real.

"Regina, did I hurt you? Your leg. I did, didn't I?" Ruby fussed. She tried to use magic to heal the queen, but her magic no longer worked like that. "Looks like I'm just a werewolf now." She looked down sadly.

Regina scowled. "When did being **just** a werewolf stop you? When did that ever make you weak, Miss Lucas? You are not just a werewolf. You are my mate, my dream. My everything."

Ruby smiled softly and looked around at the rest of her pack as they came to congratulate her and hug her. "I'm sorry I waited so long. We almost didn't make it."

"The fact is, we did." Zelena said. "You're safe and the darkness is gone."

There was a soft tsk tsk sound behind them. All eyes slowly turned. The Dark Wolf, wearing Ruby's skin, was standing behind them, grinning as its eyes glowed golden. It tilted its head, watching them with the most smug expression on its face. No longer Ruby, just all darkness. It was even holding the Dark One's dagger. There was no name on it any longer. "You didn't think it would that easy...did you?"

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A/N:Short but not sweet. Let me know what you guys think. How is our beloved pack going to get out of this one...


	16. Chapter 16

The pack children quickly found out that school was as boring as it sounded. Spencer and Benjamin were hardly challenged in their classes. Aaron and Shang easily destroyed everyone in PE. Marie mastered Drama class in all of 5 seconds and Jack easily breezed through everything. All of them had separate classes so it wasn't until lunch that they were able to sit together.

"All hands for this sucks?" Aaron said. All of them raised their hands and said aye.

"But remember guys, this is for our parents, our pack." Jack reminded them. "It isn't supposed to be fun."

"PE is kinda fun." Shang shrugged.

"The food sucks." Marie added. It was true that they were used to sauteed vegetables and steak and lobster and filet mignon. School lunch consisted of some dead pizza and horribly undercooked French fries. The fruit cups were half frozen and the milk might as well have been a block of white wood. Jack promptly swept everything into the trash and conjured a meal worthy of their status.

"Our food isn't good enough for you?" Henry asked, standing at the end of the table.

Jack rolled his eyes before replying. "No, it's not. It's horrible. We prefer things with actual flavor." He turned to his plate of Regina's lasagna. When Henry didn't move he looked up again. "Can I help you, Henry?" A crashing sound cut off his reply. They turned to the doors as they were blown open and Ruby stepped in. A darker Ruby with skin like black stone with golden scars and veins. The Dark One's dagger was unmistakable in her claws. Jack knew at once this was not his mother. He exchanged looks with Marie, who nodded. The others slowly stood up.

"Don't move!" The Dark Wolf yelled, pointing the dagger at them. It threw their teachers against the wall, effectively knocking them out. "Weaknesses must be destroyed. We must be strong." Marie shifted into her dragon form, coiling herself around the wolf repeatedly and squeezing hard, constricting it, crushing it.

"Everybody get out!" Jack yelled. Spencer and Benjamin ran to the doors to try and usher the other kids out, but the doors wouldn't budge no matter how hard they pushed. Marie suddenly screamed as she was stabbed twice with the dagger. The Dark Wolf threw her across the room and she landed with a sickening crash through a table. Shang and Aaron shifted and attacked, one catching the Dark Wolf's arm and the other its leg. It tried to stab them and slammed them onto a table. Jack ran to protect a group of girls cowering in a corner as a table was thrown. He braced himself for the impact as it slammed into his shoulder.

"Hey." He smirked at the awe struck girls. "You should probably move, yeah?" They quickly nodded and hurried off to the doors. With the room cleared out the kids shifted into their wolf forms and surrounded the darkness. The Dark Wolf shifted as well, face lighting up with a sinister grin. The dagger disappeared and it faced them with bared teeth. Jack attacked first, raking at its eyes and leaping backwards before it could grab them. He did this three times before signaling with his tail for the others to attack. They each grabbed onto a thigh or a leg, Aaron got hold of its tail, and locked their jaws tight, refusing to let go. The Dark Wolf roared in pain and fire suddenly exploded from its mouth, setting fire to the fur of the young wolves. The wolves let go and backed away, circling their prey.

"Who's weak now?" Benjamin yelled.

"Still you." The Dark Wolf grinned. "I am going to enjoy ripping you apart."

A thunderous roar made them all turn as the rest of the pack came flying through the doors, falling on the Dark Wolf with teeth and claws outstretched. It had no choice but to teleport away or be nearly ripped to shreds.

"Is everyone alright?" Ruby asked. Jack raced to his mothers and endured their frantic licks and nuzzles with happy purring.

"We fought her off. You should've seen it." Spencer said excitedly as Zelena checked him for wounds. "Marie was very brave." The little white wolf was being assessed by Maleficent. Her daughter had healed herself after being stabbed but the worried mother waved healing magic over her again to make sure.

"Looks like the first day of school is over." Jack commented. He buried himself in Regina's chest as the mayor arrived with armed guards in tow.

"What happened?" Emma demanded. "Is everyone alright?"

"All the kids got out in time." Aaron answered. "We expect a reward of a million dollars." Zelena stuffed her tail in his mouth to shut him up.

Emma turned to the guards. "Evacuate the school, send the kids home to their parents and call Gold." They nodded and turned to leave. Emma turned back to them. "Did you see Henry?"

"He's good. He left." Jack answered.

Aaron spat out his mother's tail. "We'll take that million in cash."

"What the hell was that thing?" Emma demanded.

"The Dark Wolf." Said Regina, shifting back into human form. "We took the darkness out of Ruby but it's taken a form of its own."

"How do we kill it? What does it want?"

"To destroy its weaknesses." Regina answered. "Us. Everyone Ruby loves."

Ruby growled next to her. She was enraged that that thing had tried to hurt her children, had hurt her pack, was trying to destroy all she held dear. "How do we kill it?" She growled, or tried to anyway. Regina granted her the power to speak in wolf form and she repeated her question.

"I don't know." Regina sighed. "I thought Mal's fire would be enough to."

Mal shook her head. "I couldn't sustain it or I might've been able to."

"We need a way to contain it, otherwise we're all at risk."

"We need a way to fucking kill it." Zelena hissed. "It attacked our children. It'll do it again and it'll do it with more than everyone Ruby cares about. We can't let it decide to attack everyone in town. It'll be chaos."

"I have to warn everyone to stay in." Emma insisted.

"Doors and walls isn't going to stop darkness." Mal replied. "Nothing can stop darkness from going where it wants to go."

"Dragon fire seemed to hurt it before it ran off." Regina said. "Set up torches all over town. When people light their fireplaces, let it be with dragon fire. When the street lights come on don't use electricity. Use dragon fire. It's a long shot but anything that people can use to defend themselves needs to be accessible. Lily, Marie, Shang and Mal, you need to get to work on that. Belle, Zelena, Benji and Spencer, go to the library and the vaults, find out anything you can. Tink, Merida and Mulan, you three need to spread the word."

"What about us?" Jack asked, bouncing up and down.

"We're going to track the Dark Wolf down. We're Ruby's immediate family, we're its biggest weakness." Regina looked at her son. "Are you afraid?"

"No!" Jack said, wagging his tail. "Let's go!"

"You heard the man." Regina looked at the others before her eyes fell on their alpha, her lover, her mate.

Ruby stood up. "Move out!"

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	17. Chapter 17

Regina sighed, looking around at the dark forest. Next to her, tied back to back with magical rope were Benjamin and Spencer. She crossed her arms, pacing back and forth. There was no moon tonight, only gloom and darkness. Tonight was not going to be a good night. "Dark Wolf." She said slowly, continuing to pace while boldly scanning the darkness for the black ghost of her beloved. "We need to talk, my dear. Come out, it's not a trap."

"It wouldn't matter...if it was." Came the deep growl as the Dark Wolf stepped out of the trees. The blackness in its skin was gone and it almost looked like Ruby in her normal state, but there was something off about it. "What do you want?" It looked at the tied up boys. "What is this?"

"My gift." Regina smiled. "To my mate."

The Wolf growled. "You are a weakness, and this is obviously a trick."

"I know, but I can be your strength if you let me. And no, this isn't a trick." Regina said. "Let me explain. Ruby would've never gotten the courage to even talk to me had it not been for your strength and your power. Without you...She is weak. She is nothing. I fell in love with the Dark Wolf and we have a child together that we can raise to be strong. The three of us will **never** be weak."

The Wolf circled her like a cornered piece of prey but she didn't flinch, only lifted her chin and met its gaze whenever she could, holding it defiantly. "I would've been more impressed if you had brought me Ruby."

"She's the alpha and still a bit tired from fighting you. No one was going to let her go anywhere. I barely managed to sneak away myself." Regina scoffed.

"I don't trust you." The Dark Wolf said. "But...Power is meant to be displayed. Come. Blindfold the children and bring them to my den."

"They won't remember."

"I don't care." It snapped. "I know one has an eidetic memory and I don't need them running back to the others until my work is complete."

"Benjamin is the one with the eidetic memory." Regina informed it, wondering why it remembered certain facts about the kids but not which kids it applied to. She magically blindfolded him and pulled them both to their feet. The Dark Wolf was glaring at her. "You **can** trust me."

"We'll see."

Regina swallowed as she lead the kids after the dark entity. Spencer was actually the one with the impeccable memory. He would be able to find his way back to the den easily. Both of them were shaking. "It'll be alright." She assured them softly. "We won't destroy you just yet."

"You traitor!" Benjamin hissed, trying to break away from her grip, but she held fast. "We're gonna tell."

"I'll erase your memories long before then." Regina scoffed.

"How could you do this to Ruby?" Spencer asked. "She loves you."

Regina scowled. "She's weak. I need a strong mate. Besides, it was the Dark Wolf that I mated with, not that pathetic excuse for a werewolf." Ahead, the Dark Wolf let out a hum of approval at her words. Hubris. A wolf's greatest weakness. It could be used to her advantage. This entire plan was making her nervous. Of course she didn't mean a word of it. Ruby was her one and only love, but she needed the Dark Wolf to believe otherwise, that Regina was betraying her friends and family.

The walk to the den was long and rather annoying. The Dark Wolf doubled back several times and lead them on winding and crazy paths and turns, all in attempt to confuse them so they wouldn't know the way to the den if they managed to make it back out again. The den itself looked like any other cave on the outside. On the inside it was vastly different. A great pool of bright water dominated the interior with stolen herbs and potions lining the walls. Within the water were thousands of daggers. Dark One daggers with no name on it. The Dark Wolf conjured the original dagger and tossed it into the water. Regina was about to make a mental note of where it landed but the water started swirling, mixing and tossing the daggers around, hiding the real one. **Great.** "How do you want me to prove my loyalty to you?" Regina asked. "I can be your spy." She suggested, following the Wolf. "I can keep you informed and make sure no one gets close to...whatever it is you're planning." She looked around, taking notice of as much as she could. "What are you planning by the way?"

The Dark Wolf turned to face her, slowly looking her up and down with dark, curious eyes. "Bring my son to me tomorrow."

" **Our** son." She corrected.

"Fine, **our** son. Bring him. The three of you may go."

"That's it?"

"That's it." The Wolf turned to leave but paused and turned back around. "Also, you are not to lay with Ruby Lucas until the next full moon. And you are to erase the child's memories of this night."

"No sex for a month?" Regina said in disbelief. "Ruby is going to start speculating if I avoid her for a month. The point is to play both sides of the field, yes?"

The Dark Wolf whipped around and grabbed her by the throat, lifting her off the ground. It didn't squeeze her as expected, simply held her there suspended. "I don't trust you, Evil Queen. If you are going to be mine then you **cannot** sleep with any other wolf. Do you understand?"

"Yes." Regina growled, scowling deeply. "But if you want my assistance, you're going to have to understand something."

"Oh? What's that?"

Regina blasted the wolf backwards with a powerful burst of light magic. "Don't ever put your hands on me." That only made the Dark Wolf laugh as it picked itself back up, the blackness starting to creep across its skin again. "We have a deal?"

It chuckled. "For now." The next thing Regina knew, she and the boys were outside the barrier of their territory.

"You two okay?" She asked, quickly untying them and taking off Benjamin's blindfold. They nodded and she teleported to the den where the pack was waiting worriedly for them. Regina told them everything and Spencer, the one with the actual eidetic memory, was able to point out exactly where the den was located on a map.

"We'll never be able to find the dagger, even if I do pretend to like the Dark Wolf." Regina sighed. "It'll never trust me."

"We just need you to keep it busy until we can find a way to destroy it." Zelena said.

Regina closed her eyes and felt warm arms wrap around her. Ruby kissed her neck and she leaned into her mate's embrace. "What are we gonna do?"

"We're going to win." Jack announced loudly, attracting everyone's attention. "You guys have fought off ogres and witches and armies...What's a little bit of darkness going to do?"

Regina smiled. "First step is done. Time for the next. Ready kids?"

"Yeah!" They each yelled in unison.

"Head to bed. We start at dawn."

After they had said their goodnights Regina and Ruby retired to their room. "Did she hurt you?" Ruby asked in concern.

"No. I'm fine." Regina sighed, laying on the bed. "If we can get the Dark Wolf to let down its guard, maybe get it away from the den and distract it for a while, then the kids can get a hold of the dagger." She scowled as she rattled off ideas. "But then we would need to find a way to banish the darkness forever. Maybe bind it to something that can't cause any harm and send it to another world." Regina quickly crawled across the bed and grabbed a piece of paper and pen to quickly write that down.

Ruby sat down in the edge of the bed. "This is my fault. I should've just-"

"Darkness is seductive, Ruby. Power is seductive. It doesn't matter how strong you think you are. We all have been seduced by it." Regina said quickly, going back to give her a kiss. "Come on, I need us to be a team. One of us can't be doubting themselves." Ruby slowly nodded and turned around, pushing Regina onto her back. "Wait! We can't. I promised the Dark Wolf."

Ruby's eyes lit up bright gold. "We're having sex, Regina. I don't care about what that thing wants. You are **mine.** "

"Ruby, in order for the plan to work-" Regina began but quickly paused when Ruby growled.

"Regina."

"Yes?" She whispered nervously.

"Grab the headboard."

"O-okay." Regina rolled onto her back and reached over her head to grab the headboard.

"Hold on tight." Ruby said. Regina swallowed. "You are my mate, Regina. Nothing is going to stop me from reaffirming that bond. Certainly not the Dark Wolf. Do you understand that?"

"Yes."

"Good. Be prepared to not get an ounce of sleep tonight."

Regina swallowed again. **Gods give me strength.**

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Henry looked around the nervous town as he walked to the park to meet his grandparents. School was canceled until the mayor decreed the state of emergency over. That left him free to do as he pleased for the day. Laughing alerted him to a group of girls just ahead. He didn't even need to hear their conversation to know what they were talking. Jack Mills, the heroic mutt who saved the day yesterday. Said mutt was just walking down the street now with Marie, the blonde and blue eyed beauty who threatened to burn one of the teachers alive yesterday. Henry scowled, watching Jack steal a pair of sunglasses off a stand and shift into his wolf form. At this point he was about the size of a Great Dane and his fur looked black until it hit the light revealing that it was actually a very dark brown. He landed directly in the middle of the street and flipped on the glasses, causing cars to slam on their brakes. The young wolf obviously didn't care. He bowed and allowed a smirking Marie to cross the street before actually doing the same.

"Jack!" Roland came barrelling down the street and nearly tackled Jack in a hug. Jack responded by giving the little kid a ride on his back as he continued on his way with Marie.

Henry huffed and made his way to where his grandparents were sitting at a picnic table.

"Hey Henry." Snow smiled at once, but it was quick to fade when she noticed that he seemed upset. "Is everything alright?"

"Just fine." He sighed, sitting down.

"Is Emma okay?"

He nodded. Despite his mother's job she always made time for him as best as she could.

"How goes the monster hunt?" David asked.

"Mom's leaving everything to the pack. We're heroes, we're supposed to be helping." Henry said. It was all their fault anyway. They wouldn't be dealing with an evil monster if it weren't for the pack.

"There isn't much we can do, Henry." His grandfather said. "Besides being as supportive as possible. We don't have the power anymore."

"You could run for mayor this year. You were a good king."

"I highly doubt I'll win, and besides, Emma is a good mayor."

Henry scowled. It was true that Emma was good at leading the town, but he didn't think there should ever be a time when the heroes are out of power and unable to do their jobs, which was being a hero. Their attention was drawn by Lily, Mulan and Maleficent walking with Kathryn, Aurora and Dorothy. The six were deep in conversation and the three non pack members seemed a little nervous.

"You'll do fine." Maleficent said. "Come to the border tonight when the moon is full and we'll take you across."

"You sure we're cut out for something for this?" Aurora asked.

Mulan nodded to her. "Philip isn't here, and i did promise to take care of you in his absence. The pack can be perfect for you all."

Henry scowled again. They were expanding, trying to convince everyone to join their stupid little pack. "Do you guys see this?"

"We do." David said, just as displeased. "I think we should call a council." He looked at Snow. "Right now."

/

"What the hell is this?" Emma demanded as she walked into her office, finding it full of people.

"We want a council." Her father said, standing in the middle of the room.

"I could have all of you locked up for trespassing." Emma hissed, striding forward and shooing people away from her desk. "Get out, all of you. I'll speak to a representative if that will get you out even faster." All of them shuffled out, leaving none but her parents and sons. "What is this about?"

"The pack is looking at new members. We overheard them in the park today." Henry answered.

Emma fixed him with a stern look. "Define overheard."

"We really did. I promise."

The blonde crossed her arms and leaned against her desk. "What does this have to do with me or you?"

"They're growing stronger." David said. "Getting bigger. I think you should stop it. People are on edge. Not only that, but they unleash a monster on the town and don't receive some sort of-"

"Punishment." Henry interrupted.

"I was going to say penalty...Or penance. I get they're your friends and you love Lily, but a good ruler would not let this stand."

Emma slowly nodded. "I'm not a ruler, Dad. I'm a mayor. And people are always going to be afraid of anything they do. If people want to join the wolf pack, then fine by me. Let them get their happiness wherever they can find it. You don't make the decisions anymore, I do, and this is not how you bring a matter to the mayor's attention. Got it?"

"That's it?" Henry exclaimed in disbelief.

"Henry, enough. The Dark Wolf hasn't caused any trouble since the attack at school and the pack is on the job. Everyone is armed with dragon fire and Regina has the pack patrolling 24/7. There is nothing to do. They will fix this problem and you will go home because I feel like you should be grounded."

"What?! But Mom-"

"I don't believe I stuttered, Henry." Emma watched him sulk and leave before turning to her parents. "Get out. Please."

Unbeknownst to them, Henry made his way straight to the pawn shop...To make a deal.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Across town, pouncing through a field of gold that Merida had mowed down, were the pack pups, Jack at the head as they entered the next phase of his mother's plan. 10 torches were set up in a wide circle, already lit by Marie. Aaron, Benjamin and Spencer were running back and forth, dousing the field in oil and gas. Shang was sprinkling some of Mulan's special black powder on it. Spencer and Jack had the task of covering the field in gardenias and roses to cover the scent of the explosives and flammable substances. Merida dug a couple holes and Marie went behind her placing little purple rocks in them. They looked like rocks, but were actually little magical bombs possessing enough power to level Storybrooke with the right amount. The basis of the plan was simple. Fight darkness with light. Regina and Jack would lure the Dark Wolf into the field and while they were occupied the rest of the children and some of the pack would slip away and go search for the dagger. It could work if they timed it right. If the Dark Wolf was damaged enough and maybe even killed, the dagger would melt and the rest of all that dark power would just fizzle out without something to sustain it. But everything needed to go to plan. If there were any mistakes...They could all be destroyed. Once the trap had been set, all of the wolves except Jack dispersed to their various positions.

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Marie asked.

"I'll be fine, Rie. Mom will be here soon." He assured her.

"Don't die. Please. You can't leave me alone with these crazy people."

Jack smiled and gave her a hug. "I wouldn't dream of it. Now go before the Dark Wolf gets here." She nodded and shifted, glossy white fur almost glowing in the falling light as she took off. A few minutes later Regina arrived and hid the battlefield under a thin cloak of magic. "I hope this works, Mom."

Regina was silent. When did plans go well in Storybrooke? She turned her attention to fixing Jack's hair.

"Mom! You're messing it up." He fussed.

"You want to look good for your evil mommy, don't you?"

"Where is Mom?" He asked, referring to Ruby.

The bite marks on Regina's neck started to throb. "She's, um, having a bit of a temper tantrum. She'll be fine, I think." That was perhaps an understatement. Ruby was furious. She had originally approved the plan to try and trick the Dark Wolf into thinking that Regina was on her side, but now, Ruby was very territorial. After driving Regina insane in bed the night before, she went on a rampage scent marking her territory and furiously tearing apart parts of the forest. It wasn't a pretty sight and Regina tried to ignore it for the most part. There was far too much to be done.

A growl nearby alerted her to the arrival of the Dark Wolf. The black wolf stepped out of the shadows cast by the setting sun. Regina stepped forward, making sure she was between them and Jack put on his bravest face. "Interesting choice of venue."

"I felt it appropriate." Regina replied. "And no one will think of coming here."

"Hmm." The wolf walked forward and stopped in front of Jack, looking him up and down. "He's a scrawny thing."

"He's only 11. He'll become stronger and bigger with age and training."

"I will." Jack puffed out his chest.

The Dark Wolf let out a fond purr. "Well he is splendid. Except…" It waved a paw, dispersing the spell Regina had used to hide the trap. The scent of the flowers overpowered any of other smell and it was nearly overwhelming. "What the hell is this?"

"A gift." Jack answered timidly. "For you. I thought you'd like it."

"It's very…" It sneezed and coughed. "Powerful."

"Just like I will be in a few minutes." They all looked up as Gold stepped out of the trees, accompanied by Henry who kept his distance, but stayed close enough to listen.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Regina demanded.

"I have come for my power." Gold answered. "I will absorb this beast and reclaim what is mine. What has always been mine."

The Dark Wolf turned to face him, eyebrow arching in disdain. It shifted into its human form, scowling as it took in the sight of Rumpelstiltskin. "I don't have time for you, Has Been. You think you can defeat me? Reclaim the power of the Dark One? Perhaps win the heart of your precious Belle?" Gold scowled. "News flash. She's with Zelena, the very woman you said wasn't good enough. Not only that but they have 3 beautiful little pups together." It laughed deeply. "Do you realize how hilarious this is? I mean your ex-wife falling in love with your ex-lover that killed your son and now they have three...living their happily ever after. Oh the irony of fate."

"Oh how I will love destroying you." Gold replied with a smirk.

Regina watched the Dark Wolf charge the former Dark One. That bastard was ruining everything. The Wolf wasn't in the circle anymore. The plan wouldn't work. She magically sent a message to Zelena to bring in reinforcements. Screw Gold. They were going to destroy this thing once and for all and they were going to do it...By blowing shit up.

The pack came from all sides, Ruby leading the charge and dive-bombing the Dark Wolf. Lily, Regina, Mulan and Zelena soon joined in the fray. Belle faced off against Gold, keeping him distracted so they could incapacitate the Dark Wolf long enough to get free and set off the trap.

Jack, Aaron and Marie raced to help her, but the former Dark One was holding his ground. If he didn't move he would be caught in the blast. Belle finally decided to just let him get blown up. She turned to move out of range with the kids but Gold grabbed her arm. Not far away were Merida and Dorothy, bows at the ready to assist if necessary. Merida saw Gold grab Belle and quickly fired, hitting the man in the shoulder. Dorothy followed suit with an arrow of her own but Gold was prepared. He swung his arm, deflecting their projectiles with magic...only for it to slam into Marie's back as she and Jack tried to get out of range.

It was then that Regina gave the signal to retreat. The pack tried to disperse, leaving the Dark Wolf in the circle alone, except it grabbed Ruby and held her there, no matter how hard she fought.

The Dark Wolf looked up at Regina. "Come to me, my mate. Bring our son and let us dispense with this pathetic excuse for a wolf. Join me and I will give you something you've always wanted." It growled. "Snow White's heart."

Regina looked at Jack and waved him over, her tail wagging happily as she raced to the Dark Wolf, as fast as she could to tackle the black creature. The pack knocked over the torches and a ring of fire sprang up around them. Over head the next phase fell into play smoothly as Maleficent dove out of the clouds. Ruby grabbed Jack and threw him out of range and she and Regina tried to make a run for it. The Dragon Queen fired a single fireball at the mowed field and the explosion that followed shook of Storybrooke to its core, unleashing a massive column of fire into the sky. It knocked everyone present off their feet. For some, the blast hit harder than the others. Regina was positive she was knocked out for a few seconds.

When the smoke cleared, Regina looked around at her pack. Many of them laying on the ground, limping or rolling to put out the flames that licked at their fur. Rage. It started to fill her very being until she felt like she could burst. Off at the edge of the forest she scowled as she changed into human form, watching the Dark Wolf, its pelt still on fire, as it raced for the safety of the forest. She walked over to Ruby and both of them bent over their son, badly burned on his arms from where he'd tried to protect his face. "It's going to be okay, Jacks. I promise." She looked at Ruby. "Lead them home, Ruby." Her mate nodded and limped over to the others, gently giving commands so they could get up and going. Regina turned to the nearby culprits. Henry was just picking himself up and Gold hadn't moved yet. "What the hell were you thinking?" She demanded. Henry looked up at her. "Answer me!"

"I was trying to help." He snapped. "I thought Gold taking the darkness back would solve everything. It was better when he was the Dark One and a monster wasn't threatening the town."

"Well thanks to you that monster is still alive and free and it will destroy us all now. Because of you."

"Regina!" Emma and the Charmings came running over, armed and ready for a battle that was now over. "Henry, are you alright?" Emma looked around at the beaten pack of wolves and turned to Regina. "What happened?"

"Your son happened. Because of him and his little desire to play the hero, the Dark Wolf is gone. It has escaped and it is going to go lick its wounds until it's healed and it's going to return and wreak havoc!" Regina glared at her former son. "We could all be dead right now."

"Hey." Emma touched her arm and she pushed the blonde away. "Regina, calm down. He was trying to help-"

"And that excuses him?!" Regina roared. "My son almost died. My mate almost died. My pack, my family was nearly obliterated trying to protect him when he was sticking his nose where it didn't belong. I nearly lost everything! Again! Because of yet another Charming spawn. He is no longer a child and he is going to have to deal with the consequences of his actions. Do you know what they are, Miss Swan? Do you even realize the position this puts us in?"

"I'll handle it, Regina." Emma hissed. "I'll take care of-"

"No, you don't get it." Regina said. "I have lost the Dark Wolf's trust. It now knows about our use of dragon fire. It will be suspicious of our every move. Every advantage that we possessed is now gone. Do you know what that means? It means that no one is safe. It means, Miss Swan, that everything that happens from here on out will be on your son's head."

"It wasn't entirely his fault." Neal defended.

"Oh you mean Gold?' Regina scoffed. "He'll get his in a second. But you…" She glanced down at Henry. "All of you stay the hell away from my family. Make sure that I do not see his face." She pointed at Henry. "For at least a month. Don't call, don't email, don't follow us. If anything else happens then you deal with it yourselves. My pack is done fighting for now." She turned around and motioned to Mal, who grabbed Gold by his foot and dragged him a few feet forward before teleporting away. Emma tried to catch Lily's eye but her girlfriend was far too concerned with her whimpering little sister. All of the pups had sustained some damage trying to help Jack and Ruby.

"Regina." Emma said, following her. "Look, I know things look bad but the worst thing we can do is get angry with each other. We need to be united-"

"Ask him what he lied about and see how genuine your son's intentions were. The intentions that nearly cost everyone I loved their lives."

"What are you talking about?"

"The Dark One doesn't make deals unless he is offered something. As far as I know Henry has nothing to give Gold. So...What did he lie about to get him on his side?" Regina raised an eyebrow as she teleported away with the rest of her family. They didn't Run that night. It was mostly silence throughout the entire mountain. Everyone was either eating or waiting to be healed of their injuries. Regina found Ruby later on sitting on top of the mountain, looking out over Storybrooke. "You okay?"

Ruby shook her head. "Nope. It could've worked. We could be done with that monster but…" She sighed. "We need a new plan."

"Not right now. The Dark Wolf was as damaged as we are. It won't attack for a while." Regina said, sitting next to her. "The kids found the dagger. Spencer lead them right to it but they set off an alarm and they ran."

"Good. I don't want any of them getting hurt for our sake."

Regina sighed and leaned her head on Ruby's shoulder. "That also means the Dark Wolf knows that we know about its den location. What's Plan B?"

"Right now, we rest and recuperate. Spend some time for ourselves and our pack. Then in maybe a week or two, we get started on finding out everything we possibly can about the dagger and the darkness."

Regina nodded. "Good plan. I'll send someone to ransack Gold's shop while he's out. Might be a clue in there."

"Good idea."

"So, we're getting new members?" Regina asked.

"Soon."

"Do you not particularly like men or what? You do have a packful of estrogen." Ruby frowned, as though just realizing that her pack was made up entirely of females, except for the children.

She eventually shrugged. "I don't have any guy friends. Plus with all these lovely women around they'll just act like asses."

"Lovely women?" Regina arched an eyebrow.

"Oh come on, Regina, you are too perfect to be getting jealous. Don't even try to go there."

"You're perfect, Ruby." Regina said sincerely, making Ruby turn to look at her. "You really are. Perfect for me." Ruby smiled and gave her a kiss. She stood up and helped Regina to her feet.

"Come on. We've deserved some rest." She turned around and crouched down. Regina laughed as she hopped onto her back and was carried into the den.

/

The pack maintained their distance from the rest of the town and the Dark Wolf didn't show its face again. They experienced two long weeks of rest and relaxation before once again going into attack mode. Throughout that time, Gold's shop was stripped from top to bottom and he was left in the middle of it, blind, bound and gagged with magical rope that would force him to get himself free. Belle gave him a parting kick between his legs for good measure. But before they start hunting for the Dark Wolf, Ruby wanted to welcome the newest members of the Mills-Lucas pack.

During the full moon they gathered at the lagoon and Ruby smiled as Dorothy, Kathryn and Aurora came forward. "Tonight we welcome three new members to the pack." Ruby said with a grin to get them to stop being so nervous. "Separated from their families, lost without a true home, they decided to find one, as we all did. Well, welcome." She hugged Dorothy who looked almost shocked. "What, did you expect some big ceremony or something. Ha, too much work. We're pretty lazy around here if you haven't noticed." The rest of the pack got up to welcome them as well before stepping back. Regina stepped up to Aurora and placed both hands on her shoulders. Smoke engulfed her and when it cleared she was in the form of a large reddish brown wolf. Regina did the same to Kathryn and Dorothy, giving them their own wolf forms, gold and dark brown respectively. The others shifted as well and tails went to wagging and as they mixed scents and got accustomed to each other once again. Ruby was about to lead the Run when she heard a woof noise. Everyone froze and looked around until they noticed Maleficent. The dragon had finally taken a wolf form of her own. She was large and powerfully built with long jet black fur and two great horns spiraling out of her head. Shang and Marie leaped on top of her and Mulan touched noses with her. Lily did a little happy dance, excited to finally Run with her mother.

Ruby howled and took off with her pack at her heels. Regina and Jack ran on either side of her doing flips off of trees and bouncing up and down. The Dark Wolf was not going to take away their happiness and fun. If it wanted a war then they would be happy to give it one. Tonight though...tonight was about fun and happiness and family. Tomorrow...would be another story.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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	18. Chapter 18

"1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9…" Jack removed his paws from over his eyes and peeked around. "10! Here I come!" He took off into the trees, wagging his tail as he searched for his packmates and friends. He easily found Aaron in the trunk of a tree and Shang hiding in a bush. He literally tripped over Spencer and Benjamin who were using an invisibility spell. Marie proved a challenge to find. He searched half the woods for her, even checked the lakebed. "Okay, Marie. You win." The white she-wolf dropped from the trees overhead and lifted her chin in triumph.

"What should we do now? Play stick?" Aaron asked as he and the others trotted up.

"You always win." Shang scoffed.

"Ooh, let's race to the old toll bridge." He said excitedly.

"That's beyond the borders and Mom says we need to stay inside." Jack reminded them.

"Are you afraid?" Aaron asked, already starting to leave. Benjamin and Shang were quick to follow.

"Idiots." Spencer muttered.

"I agree." Marie added.

Jack sighed. "There is always going to be that one guy who does what he isn't supposed to and ends up getting hurt. After watching so many movies Aaron should know this."

"Doesn't matter. You can't explain why idiots do idiotic things." Spencer replied. "I know this because my brother is one."

Jack chuckled and stood up. "Well, if we're going to do this then we might as well win, right?" Marie wagged her tail in response. The young alpha took off. They bounded right over Aaron's head and laughed as he rushed to catch up. The six of them were sprinting headlong towards the magical barrier, nearly upon it when their mothers appeared in front of them. Jack slammed into Ruby's furry chest and landed on his butt. He looked up at Ruby and Regina, both of them simply staring back.

"Where do the lot of you think you are going?" Zelena asked, looking at Aaron, already knowing he was the mastermind behind their little stunt.

"Just a little race to the toll bridge." He said softly.

Maleficent growled as her son and daughter cowered. "You deliberately disobey our instructions and put yourselves in harm's way?"

"The barrier is for your protection. We've strengthened it so the Dark Wolf can't cross. You are safe behind it." Mulan added.

All six of the pups hung their heads. "At the very least I expected you to get away with it." Mal said.

"My dear, I think you're upset about the wrong part of this." Her mate replied.

"Actually," Marie murmured. "We didn't break the rule **yet**. You guys stopped us."

"Not the time, Marie." Her blonde mother snapped.

"Back to the den." Regina commanded. "All of you. To your rooms." Jack hung his head as he was escorted back to the den. He shouldn't have agreed to something so stupid.

"Sorry, Mom." He said, flattening his ears as they walked.

"You're children. You're going to try and push your limits, do something stupid." Regina said. "But don't do so at the cost of your life. Wait until we kill the Dark Wolf. Then you can do any stupid thing you want."

"Regina." Maleficent said, coming to the former queen's side. "I have given our predicament some thought. The Dark Wolf seemed quite upset upon learning that you had betrayed it."

"Your point?"

"You might can earn back the darkness' forgiveness. Give us back our edge."

"No." Ruby said as she trotted past them.

"Well, there's your answer." Regina said.

"Ruby." the dragon growled. Ruby stopped and turned around. "Look at our pups. Look around them. What do you see?" Ruby glanced around but didn't answer. "This was meant to be a home, a haven. What does it look like now? We promised our children the world and they're stuck behind a wall."

"It is to protect them." Ruby said.

"I know, but believe me when i say i am tired of walls." She flattened her ears. "I'm far too old and far too stubborn to be sitting here while a monster is sitting on our doorstep threatening the lives of my dragonlings."

"What would you have me do?" Ruby demanded. "I can't. ..I can't beat it. You know I can't."

"I think you need to stop pitying yourself and get off your ass. We all do."

"I've tried! We nearly died the last time."

"The last time a foolish human got in the way. Our plan would've worked. Reconfigure it. Try again, damn it."

Ruby sighed. "We need the dagger."

"The dark wolf almost certainly has moved its den." Regina added.

"Let's give it back to Gold." Ruby said suddenly, wagging her tail. Regina and Mal exchanged looks of confusion. "Come on!" Ruby took off back to the den and they hurried after her.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Henry sighed, collapsing onto his bed. His punishment for getting involved with Gold and ruining the pack's plan was not yet over. Emma was still livid over him putting himself in danger and making a deal he couldn't keep. He also told a lie, convincing Gold that Belle was afraid of the Dark Wolf and that she wanted to go back to the pawn shop and him, but was too afraid of the pack to run. Gold, still being in love wit her, decided quickly to become the Dark One again and help his beloved. He thought that Gold taking back the darkness would solve everything, but it was not to be. Everything fell apart and now Henry could only leave his room to go to school and to the bathroom. Emma brought him food and took out all his video games and comic books.

"Tired of being imprisoned?" Henry shot up, eyes scanning the empty room. He went over to the window and looked out, finding nothing a miss. The sun was falling and his mom would be home from work soon. "Hello Henry." He turned around to find the Dark Wolf sitting in the middle of the room. "I owe you my life."

"W-what do you want?"

"I want you, of course." it flashed a wolfish grin and stood up. "Come quickly and quietly and **maybe** I won't kill you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The pack and Emma received the news at the same time. It was Ruby who lead them to the meeting place situated at the edge of a cliff. The Dark Wolf was already there, lying on it with Henry trapped beneath a paw. Ruby gave the signal for the pack to stop and she leaped onto the rock and laid next to the black wolf. Regina pushed Gold onto the rock and Ruby forced him onto his stomach and laid a paw lazily across his chest. He was bound with magic rope and would never get free unless someone did it for him.

"Let the boy go and we'll give you a chance to stay alive." Ruby said, surveying her pack, all waiting and watching. Emma was present as well, standing next to Regina.

"How so?"

"We'll bind you to Gold here and send you to another world. You'll be free and away from us."

"Give me my mate and my son and we'll have a deal." The Dark Wolf looked down and met Regina's eyes. Then it turned to Jack, who bared his teeth.

"You know I'm not going to do that."

"Then I will kill the boy." The Dark Wolf pressed down on Henry's arm, cracking the bone. Henry screamed in pain but Ruby gave a disdainful snort.

"You're going to have to do better than that." She replied. "Truly he's much more trouble than he's worth. Hence why we're having this conversation. If not for him you would be dead."

"Ruby, what the hell are you doing?!" Emma screamed, only to be shushed by half the pack.

"Shut up, Human." Ruby snapped. She turned back to the Dark Wolf. "You'll have your freedom but you won't take my family."

" **Your** family?" The Wolf chuckled. "Regina was right about you. You're weak and pathetic. Regina mated with the Dark Wolf. Me. Jack was born from my strength. This pack was created because of my strength. If not for **me** , you would still be running through the forest alone and the Savior would still be lusting over Regina, Something she still does occasionally." Ruby looked at Regina. "Go ahead, dear. Tell her."

"I was lying." Regina growled. "It was all part of the plan."

"Was it? Do you honestly believe that any of these fools would've helped you as you wasted away in your gilded cage? Dying because this boy, this wretched boy told you you couldn't use magic." It looked down at Henry. "He threw you away and now all he does is chase after you. Darkness doesn't lie, Henry." The Wolf rose to its feet, keeping a paw on Henry's back. "This is **my** pack. I know everything about each and every one of you." It looked at Maleficent first, the obvious target. "The great and powerful Dragon Queen, wasting time trying to hibernate and regain her strength, leaving her daughter in a big, empty house alone. Friendless. Motherless. Willing to **forgive** and **forget** the people who stole and cursed her child. You are truly an excellent mother indeed." It looked at Mulan. "Fa Mulan, legendary warrior and savior of China...reduced to playing bounty hunter, bodyguard and brute. Mated to a dragon who only showed any interest in you once she went into heat. Even so, it must be nice not to be the **third wheel** anymore." Mulan flattened her ears and looked down. "Miss French, another waste of time trying to change a man who would never do right by you, never love you, never treat you as anything over than a symbol for his own goodness. Wicked Witch, oh Zelena, unwanted, unloved, by almost any and everyone she's ever met. Falling for the first person to ever show her any interest. Also another example of being caged and nearly dying because of the idiots of this town. There is one among us." It turned its gaze on Emma. "Emma fucking Swan, I don't really think I need to tell anyone everything you've done being spurred by your parents and your stupid son into bulldozing this town into doing whatever you want because you're the fucking savior. You are nothing and you've always been...nothing."

"Enough." Ruby stood up as well. "Just stop."

"You don't deserve this pack. You are just a watered down dog who obeys the commands of your master, Snow White. You've always bowed to her, always lapped at her heels, always-"

"I SAID ENOUGH!" Ruby roared, stunning the Dark Wolf. "Just for that, you will die." Ruby tackled the wolf to the ground. The wolf only started laughing as the forest suddenly came alive with shadows. The Dark Wolf had created a pack of its own. Regina was the first to leap into battle. In doing so she couldn't see her mate nearly get thrown over the cliff. Ruby barely managed to claw her way back to safety. Marie and Jack made a dive for Henry and Gold but the Dark Wolf turned faster than would've thought possible, backhanding Jack across the rock and grabbing Marie by the back of her neck. It slammed her into the ground one good time, breaking her back. She whimpered in pain, alerting her parents who tried to fight their way to her. The Dark Wolf growled as it launched the little white wolf clean over the side of the cliff.

Mal shifted into her dragon form, intent on grabbing her child. She threw herself into open space, reaching for Marie. The pack of shadow-like wolves swarmed her, climbing onto her back and tearing holes in her wings. She missed Marie and ended falling over the cliff herself, trying to tear the wolves off of her and leaving behind open sores and wounds.

Jack roared and slammed into the enemy. Aaron, Spencer and Benjamin leaped in as well, mauling the Dark Wolf with everything they had for hurting their packmate. Shang rammed into them all. Ruby tried to grab them as the Dark Wolf slid backwards but all of them were sent careening over the cliffside.

/

Jack blinked open his eyes, pain radiating from his right leg. He stood up and shook dust off of his pelt. For the most part he was okay. Thank the gods for his mother thinking ahead with a protection spell. He limped around in search of his packmates, finding Spencer not far away and Aaron a few feet further with Benji trying to wake him up. The Dark Wolf lay in the center of their little carnage, unmoving besides the faint rise and fall of its pelt. It was still alive. Then Marie could be too. "Marie!" He yelled. **Please be okay**. "Marie!" He sniffed around and finally caught her scent on the wind. He took off after it and found his longtime friend buried in the forest undergrowth, her pristine white fur stained red. "Marie?" He let out a sigh of relief with she tried to lift her head. "No! Stop, don't move. Our Moms'll be here soon, okay?" He knelt next to her, cringing at seeing her twisted back. The others soon found them and curled up around their fallen comrade as well. Shang cradled his sister's head in his paws.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Marie croaked softly.

"Because you're the bravest, strongest she-wolf in the world." Jack replied.

"Help will be here soon, Rie." Shang promised. Benjamin placed a healing spell on her. He wasn't advanced enough to completely heal her but he could lessen her pain for the time being.

It wasn't until night that they were found, nearly stepped on as their mothers flew into a frenzy to find them. It was a miracle any of them were alive after the height of the fall. The pack was bleeding and exhausted, having wasted no time after winning their battle to come and find their missing children. Lily teleported them home while their parents dealt with the Dark Wolf. The young dragon used the last of her strength to heal them and helped Tink and Merida tuck them in. It had been a stressful day for everyone and they had finally succeeded. Except it didn't feel much like a victory. Yet again the pack had taken a hard blow and would need time to recuperate.

Maleficent found Mulan standing on the mountaintop, overlooking the slumbering forest. Her mate had said very little since their return home and the dragon was concerned that the Dark Wolf's words may have hit a chord with her beloved. It was no longer a secret of Mulan's unrequited love for Philip. Mal knew the tale all too well, and it remained a sore spot for the warrior. "Mulan? Have you been healed?"

"Yes." came the soft reply.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I just want to be left alone right now."

Maleficent nodded slowly, knowing her presence wasn't wanted or needed, but she felt compelled to speak anyway. "The Dark Wolf was right about some things. I should've been with Lily. That is true, but when it comes to you, Mulan, you are my world. You gave me my son and my daughter. I know the wolf's words hurt. I just want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here." The blonde turned to leave. "I'm gonna go check the borders and see if the aging spell is still intact. I'll...see you in the morning." Maleficent dove off the side of the mountain and shifted into her dragon form.

Below them, in the alpha's den, Regina was trying to get Ruby to talk to her. She didn't understand why her mate refused to talk to her. "Tell me you don't believe that stupid thing. You know how I feel about you, Ruby." Regina followed Ruby into the bathroom and watched her get undressed and sink into the steaming tub. "Ruby Red Lucas, answer me damn it."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Anything. " Regina whimpered.

"Anything." Ruby replied.

Regina glared at her. "Damn it, Ruby. Stop. Please." She sighed.

Ruby flicked the water with her fingertips. "The darkness was right. I'm not strong enough to defeat it. I only got the courage to talk to you because of it."

"But it was **you** who took in the darkness to save me and Emma. That was **you**. Just you. You're much stronger than you give yourself credit for. I don't want a weak mate, Ruby, just like you didn't." Ruby refrained from replying and instead started scrubbing away the grime of the day. "Fine. You're such a bitch sometimes, you know that?" Regina stormed away and slammed the door as she left.

Ruby rolled her eyes and finished bathing. She dried off, growling to herself and wishing that life could go back to being sweet and simple like it was when she first invited Regina into her pack. She put on a robe and stepped outside, immediately coming to face to face with a certain redheaded archer.

"You gonna stop being an arse and go after her then?" Merida said.

"After today I think we both could use some space-"

"No, you idiot. You're the best things that have ever happened to each other. Don't be stupid, Ruby. Go after her, kiss and make up already."

"You can't just force me to do that." Ruby rolled her eyes. But she knew it was the right thing to do. Her wolf was demanding they find her mate and make it up to her, but she was just so sick and tired of listening to wolves right now. Merida quirked an eyebrow and turned to head to bed. Ruby sighed and walked outside. Regina's scent lead into the forest. She probably went for a run to clear her head and to get away from Ruby. Ruby shifted and threw off her towel, chasing after her beloved. She came to a clearing and found that Regina's scent had disappeared. Probably teleported somewhere. Ruby threw back her head and howled long and loud. When Regina didn't reply she started screaming at the top of her lungs. "REGINA!"

"WHAT?!" Regina appeared in front of her and Ruby wasted no time in tackling her to the ground.

"I'm an idiot."

"Great, we both agree on something."

Ruby growled and furiously started rubbing herself against Regina. Regina tried pushing her off, but she wasn't strong enough and Ruby was too excited. She pushed Regina on the ground and sat on top of her, wagging her tail.

"Get off me."

"No. No, no, no, I'm sorry. I just...it's hard. I don't…" Ruby sighed. "I don't have your confidence. I wish I did but I don't."

Regina rolled her eyes. "You actually do have it and even if you didn't, that's what I'm here for. We're supposed to complete each other."

"I am such an ass. I will never act like that again. Forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you, you idiot. No, wait, you can't be an idiot. That's the Charmings. What about moron? That sounds like you." Regina reached up and licked Ruby's nose. "Now get off me." Ruby hopped down and nuzzled her mate to her feet, furiously kissing and licking her as they trotted back to the den together. Ruby made a detour into Jack's room where their son was curled up in bed in his little wolf form. She picked him up and carried him into their bedroom.

"What the? Mom, what's going on?" He yawned as she placed him on the bed next to Regina. Ruby curled up happily with her mate and son. For now they could get a good night's rest.

/

The next morning the kids raced out to the old toll bridge and leaped off the bridge into the water, enjoying the warmth before it turned cold. Winter was only a few weeks away. Sitting on the bridge and watching over them were the babysitters for the day, Mulan and Mal.

"I'm sorry for being mean to you." Mulan said softly, looking over at her horned girlfriend.

Mal only licked her cheek. "All is forgiven, Mulan."

"I love you, dragon."

"And I love you more."

They smirked and turned back to watching their little ones have their fun in the river. Marie was newly healed. Her dragon blood had caused her bones to heal back incredibly quickly but they ended up having to be broken again in order to be healed correctly. It was not a fun night for their daughter, but you couldn't tell today by how much fun she was having with the rest of her packmates.

"What did you do with the Dark Wolf?" Mulan asked.

Mal growled as she replied. "Caged it until we can kill it for good." The fall had weakened the darkness, but the dragons bathing it in fire nearly killed it, a feat they could not yet accomplish without having the dagger. Rather than bind it to Gold and give the bastard back his power, they stuck it in an enchanted prison until they could get the dagger. At this very moment Regina and Zelena were leading the search through the woods to find the Dark Wolf's den. Once they found the dagger Mal knew a way to destroy the darkness forever, without someone needing to take the darkness into itself to do it. She needed a fire that would burn hot enough to melt the Dark One's dagger. Without it, the Dark Wolf could easily be killed. The thing was, not even dragon fire could help in this situation. They needed something powerful, something ancient. Thankfully they had Belle, who was hard at work in the library at this very moment finding out a solution for them.

"What now?" Mulan inquired. "Is there anything we can do?"

"Not at the moment. Leave it to the alphas for now."

While Maleficent watched over the youngsters her eldest daughter had slipped away to Storybrooke. Lily found Emma in her house, arriving just as Henry was trudging upstairs with a cast on his arm. "Hey, Em." She greeted her lover with a kiss. "How's he doing?"

Emma sighed and crossed her arms. "Better now that this mess is over with. Henry will be fine. He learned his lesson. What's going on with the pack?"

"Nothing much." Lily sat down on the arm of her couch. "Might not see any of us for a while though."

"Why?" Emma frowned. "Is this because of Henry?"

"It's because of this entire situation, and yes, Henry made it worse. Marie's been injured twice, she almost died yesterday. The other kids fell off a cliff. The pack is...tired."

"And you're cutting yourself off from the town because you're tired? You don't think we are too?"

Lily sighed. "Emma, it's…" She flailed around for the right word. "Ruby and Regina formed the pack for peace. To live...without the town. Now, I get we should be united against a great threat like the Dark Wolf but every time, so far, when you all have gotten involved, it's always ended badly for us. Especially for us and we just need a break."

"And you're still searching for ways to kill the darkness once and for all?"

"No, we decided to keep it as a pet." Lily deadpanned. "Of course, Emma. Right now, we just need a break to recover and get back to our roots. After all, our den was meant to be a haven. Once we're settled I'm sure the kids'll go back to school and the pack will come out and talk."

"And us?" Emma demanded. "I'm sick and tired of you disappearing into the forest every time Ruby or Regina gets pissed about any little thing."

"They're my family."

"They're wolves. You're a fucking dragon." Emma snapped back.

Lily sighed and kissed her forehead. "I have to go, but I'll call you later." Emma pouted until the dragon started kissing her all over her face and she was forced to smile.

"You know, you could stay if you wanted."

"I know." Lily smirked. "But tonight is movie night and I have to pick up some groceries. Regina is making a lasagna pizza. It's gonna be great." She gave her girlfriend one final kiss and made her way out the door where Aurora and Dorothy were waiting. Emma watched her leave, frowning slightly. She didn't like sharing her girlfriend with a pack of other women. Especially the new bloods. What if one of them tried to steal Lily from her? She tried to shake off her fears and called Regina but got no answer. The queen obviously heard her phone ringing and clicked decline because it only rang twice.

"Damn it, Regina."

Unbeknownst to her, Regina was quite busy. She hadn't hit decline at all, Ruby had actually taken her phone and thrown it against the wall, annoyed that it was ruining their lovemaking session. The two had been cooped up since the search for the Dark Wolf's den had come up empty. That night, however, they were back at it again. The entire pack fanned out, each one equipped with a magic detecting necklace, just in case the Dark Wolf was using a spell to hide its den. They didn't find the den, but they found where the wolf was keeping the dagger. Zelena's necklace was activated when Lily pushed her into the lake. The pack reunited and they removed the spell on the lake and found the lakebed covered in Dark One daggers, all identical. They decided to go home and rest and came back the next morning when they could actually see.

Regina was not surprised when their movements were spotted by the heros. The idiots were the first to arrive as the pack were getting set up for their diving expedition. She ignored them for the most part as she examined the diving bell that Benjamin and Spencer had made. "Are you sure this will work? I can conjure up some diving equipment in a heartbeat."

"It'll work. I saw this in a video game." Spencer replied.

"What's going on here?" Charming demanded. "Regina!"

Regina sighed and waved her hand, teleporting them away. She turned back to the task at hand. Mal shifted into dragon form and took hold of the bell. She picked it up and hovered over the lake, dropping it in the very center. "Alright, first set." Zelena, Ruby, Mulan and Dorothy would take the first dives. They swam out to the center of the lake where Maleficent had landed to hold the chain of the bell and proceeded to dive, using the chain to reach the bell where it would provide oxygen.

"Maybe we need more than one. They could cover more ground." Aaron suggested.

Regina nodded. "We need three more bells, Spence. Lily, you're up!" Because having two dragons would blot out the sun and ruin their sight underwater, they attached the bells to large balls that would float and keep the bell from sinking completely. While Mal climbed out, Lily dropped the rest. "Where is Ursula when you need her?" The queen said to Mal as she shifted back down and shook herself.

"Probably somewhere singing. Don't talk her up, she might appear." The dragon replied, running a hand through her wet hair. Marie handed her a towel and she went to take a seat.

"Mom, can we try?" Jack asked, bouncing in front of his mother.

Regina smiled fondly. "When the first group returns, maybe. We want to make sure that there are no traps down there that you might get hurt on." Jack nodded and resumed bouncing and looking at the calm crystal waters. The first group returned empty handed and the second, consisting of Regina, Mal, Tink, Merida and Lily, made the dive. The water was colder than she'd expected and pulling herself down to the bell was harder than she imagined. Finally she pulled herself inside it to take a deep breath before diving again. Zelena had left little floating lights in some of the dark spots and deeper water so the others could see. They all wore necklaces that would detect any magic nearby so all they had to do was swim around and wait for the necklace to vibrate.

Regina searched until her arms grew tired and she resurfaced and swam to shore. "No good." She said to a hopeful looking Ruby. "Maybe there's a better way to do this."

"Without activating some kind of trap?" Ruby asked. "How much you wanna bet one is down there?"

Regina turned to the pups. "Seal off the lake for me, dears. We're gonna need complete privacy for this next part." She turned to Ruby. "Call everyone back out. Let's see if we can drain the damn thing."

Jack waved to the others and Regina conjured yellow police tape. They each took one and ran off to tie it to trees. She smiled and turned back to Ruby, arching an eyebrow at her bikini. "What?" Ruby frowned.

"You're sexy as hell, that's what." Regina replied, turning to Mal. "Mal, we're gonna drain it. Call all the magic users."

/

Emma was helping Henry do his homework when she felt the earth rumbling and shaking. She grabbed her sword and quickly raced to find out what was going on. She had made it to the edge of town when she came upon her parents. They informed her the pack was at the lake and she took the lead to find them. It took almost an hour to traverse the wilderness around Storybrooke. The trails would've made it easier but it would've taken longer to reach them. Finally they arrived at the large bowl in the earth that once was the lake. The pack were filing out of it, apparently done with whatever they were doing. "Regina!" Emma yelled. The black wolf turned around, a dagger firmly clamped in her jaws. She pricked her ears and handed the dagger to Jack, who took off after the others. Regina trotted around the bowl and stopped in front of Emma. "What's going on?"

"Nothing that concerns you, Miss Swan." came the deep reply. "The water will return soon. I suggest you not be standing here when it does." Regina turned back and took off after the pack. In Emma's haste to find them, she hadn't noticed the large 'bubble' hanging over the crater where the lake used to be. She only happened to look up and see it just as it fell, the water filling the lake once more and splashing all three of the Charmings, soaking them to the bone. She wiped her eyes and heard laughing from the forest nearby. Regina and the others were rolling on the ground, holding their sides with their paws. One wolf came up to her and licked her nose, still snickering.

"Shut up, Lily." She said, flicking wet hair out of her face. Ruby howled and Lily nuzzled her neck before dashing back off with the pack. That night the entire town heard them celebrating.

/

"We did it!" Aaron yelled at the top of his lungs. Regina and Ruby exchanged grins, watching the kids enjoy this moment of peace. Across the sandy shore of the lagoon, Mal and Lily were grilling and roasting burgers and deer. Mulan, Belle and Zelena was dancing while Aurora and Kathryn played some music. Everyone else were either playing volleyball or swimming in the lagoon. Regina's hand tightened on the dagger in her fist. They had found it, and now they needed to destroy it in order to finally destroy the darkness. But that could wait until tomorrow. This night belonged to the wolves.

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	19. Chapter 19

Regina smiled to herself, watching the children play in the meadow below. Jack and Marie were wrestling in the grass. Aaron was being chased by his brothers and Shane was soundly napping against Ruby nearby. The alpha was resting in wolf form, watching in amusement at the pups playing. Today was a day for the pack, for its pairs to express their love for one another. Since Regina and Ruby did so frequently and on a daily basis, they would spend the day with the children, allowing everyone else to fully relax and enjoy their day of appreciation. She decided to make her rounds, doing a quick sweep around the clearing to make sure there was no danger near or they weren't intruding on any of her packmates' privacy. Ruby decided to take the kids down to their special place, the rock where they had first truly met.

"Tell us a story, Mom." Jack said.

"Ooh!" Spencer raised his paw. "How about how you formed the pack."

"No, tell us about a battle!" Aaron piped in.

Marie rolled her eyes when he bumped into her. "Tell us when you first met Gina."

Ruby chuckled and sat down. "Okay, I'll start with Marie's, but it should settle all of your various curiosities."

It was at this moment that Regina realized she didn't remember the first time she met Ruby. It was so long ago everything was so hectic then, what with all the wars and riots she had been dealing with being the Evil Queen. Ruby remembered though. She remembered every moment of that day.

"It was the battle of the black river." Ruby began. "It was the dead of winter. Everything was cold and barren and Snow's army was starving…"

 _Winter had all of the Enchanted Forest in its cold clutches, slowly squeezing the life of the rebel army. Ruby watched the tired men and women, former farmers and spinsters and bakers and blacksmiths. Every one of them trudging through the makeshift camp on bent backs and weary feet. The army was tired and cold and hungry. They wouldn't last much longer. They were situated on the banks of a great, wide river, a river so deep and with water so dark, it was called Black River. Black River was frozen solid, an icy pathway to the promised land, for just across it lay a nice big city filled with warm hearths and mead and hot food. Snow's army could easily disappear within it, gather strength and wait for the spring to try and overthrow the Evil Queen again, but there was a problem. And that was the Evil Queen herself, who was waiting on the other side of the river with an army twice the size of Snow's, with twice the manpower, twice the food, twice the weapons, twice the experience._

 _Ruby moved down to the river's edge, drawing her cloak tightly around her and looking off to the other side. At dawn tomorrow she would be leading the attack across. The werewolf had always assumed that the Evil Queen won her battles through sheer numbers alone, but she was shocked to find how good a commander they were facing. Regina always lead from the front, was present at nearly every battle, offering commands and support. She kept the enemy on their toes with small midnight raids and attacks, never allowing them a full night's sleep, making sure they were exhausted the day of the battle. She had more than enough troops on reserve to do so. Regina was a terrible enemy, but Ruby's wolf purred at having to face her. A real challenge._

 _Ruby looked up, feelings eyes on her. Her gaze drifted over the banks until she met the fierce eyes of the queen herself, wrapped from head to toe in a menacing black cloak of fur. Ruby wasn't sure but it might've been a wolf cloak. Her eyes met Ruby's and stayed there. She stared down the werewolf without fear and without hesitation. Ruby's wolf started purring again. A real challenge indeed._

 _The next morning saw Ruby up at dawn, in wolf form. She charged across the frozen river, meeting the black soldiers head on. She leaped right into the middle of them, slashing flesh and ripping armor to sink her teeth into crucial body parts. Screams, yells, metal clashing, all of it filled her ears as the two armies met on the ice, fighting above the frozen river. Within minutes the werewolf was practically breathing blood, but she couldn't stop. They didn't have reserves and Ruby was the most experienced fighter on Snow's side. She had to keep going. That's when she felt those same eyes again. She turned to find Regina down the river, astride a mighty black stallion. She stared Ruby down again and the wolf growled and charged her. To her surprise, Regina charged as well. Finally, a worthy challenger. The wolf leaped, prepared to tear Regina off her horse, but the queen whipped out a black sword out of nowhere, narrowly missing Ruby's head. She landed and turned to charge again. This time Regina vaulted off her horse, completing a spin in the air and sliced open Ruby's shoulder._

 _Ruby growled as her blood stained the ice. She faced her opponent again. Regina smirked, circling her, leaving a trail in the thin layer of snow with her fur cape. This woman had the gall to laugh at what she thought was an easy victory. Her confidence was kind of a turn on though...If only she wasn't such a bitch. Ruby roared and charged again, but a ring of fire suddenly sprung up, separating them._

" _You didn't think it would be that easy, right? Wolfy?" Regina taunted. She had the sexiest voice Ruby had ever heard. Her wolf roared to life, refusing to kill the queen. Ruby backed away, getting a running start to fly straight through the fire. As soon as she did, she realized her mistake. Regina simply teleported away as the ice started breaking up, cracking right beneath her paws. Everyone rushed to get off the ice as it started splintering._

" _Red!" Snow yelled._

 _Ruby scrambled to find purchase but the piece of ice she was on tipped and she slid into the water. She had to dive to avoid being crushed-_

"I don't remember any of this." Regina interrupted.

"You don't remember finding me naked the next morning down the river and covering me with your fur cloak thing?" Ruby asked. Regina shook her head. "How could you not? You let us go after that."

Regina frowned, racking her brain for the memory. Then it hit her. "Battle of Black River- that was a year after your mother died, wasn't it?"

Ruby nodded. "It was one of the smallest battles we ever fought, but still. That was the first time we actually met."

"Wait a minute." Marie intervened. "Gina almost kills you and that made you fall in love with her?"

"Uh, yeah." Ruby said. "Have you seen this woman fight? She's like a goddess of war." She gave Regina's cheek a quick lick. "She's fucking amazing."

"Aw." Marie purred.

"Ew." The boys said in unison.

Ruby rolled her eyes and looked at her mate. "What do you remember as our first time meeting then?"

"The Assault of the Dark." Regina answered.

 _It was midnight in the forest and Regina and her army were moving across the battlefield. Using magic, they were invisible and made no sound as they crept across the blackened and blood soaked no man's land, skirting the bodies of both enemy and comrade. Tonight Regina was sure would be the night she would capture Snow White once and for all. Her plan was perfect. They reached the edge of the slumbering enemy camp undetected and just as she was about to give the signal to attack, she heard the warning of Snow's pet werewolf. That stupid fucking wolf! She ended the spell and sent her men forward to crush the peasant army. Astride her black stallion, she watched the chaos unfold. But again, it was that stupid wolf that was causing problems. She had forgotten all about its sense of smell. She was going to have to kill it. A dark shape suddenly slammed into Regina, knocking her off her horse. Air came rushing out of her lungs as pain spread through her abdomen._

 _The wolf snapped at her horse, making it bolt, leaving the queen at the mercy of the beast. Regina placed a hand over her stomach and uttered a quick healing spell. She got back to her feet and conjured a sword. To her surprise, the werewolf changed back into a human. A very...alluring human. She was rather stunning to look at, even covered in blood and almost naked. "What is your name?" The queen inquired._

" _Most people call me Red, but my real name is Ruby."_

" _Well, I'm sure you know mine."_

 _Ruby bared her teeth. "Yep." She looked around and picked up a fallen sword. "Shall we begin, your majesty?"_

"So either way you ended up fighting?" Aaron asked.

Regina nodded. "We were on opposite sides of a war."

"And as the queen Regina couldn't just announce to the world that she had fallen madly in love with me." Ruby added. "Even though it was true."

Regina arched an eyebrow at her and she licked her cheek again. "Suck up." They shared a laugh and laid down together while the kids wandered about, playing to their heart's content. Ruby nuzzled at Regina's fur, almost purring with happiness and pride. Today was a good day. Why not be happy?

Both of them looked up when they heard footsteps. Out of the bushes came the small forms of two children. Regina recognized them as Hansel and Gretel, the two children she had sent into a witch's den. The pair of siblings were out of breath and covered in dirt. Small twigs were stuck in Gretel's unruly mane and Hansel's entire face was red.

"What are you doing here, children?" Regina asked, shifting into human form.

"We need help." Gretel whispered.

/

Emma picked up her phone and anxiously paced back and forth as she called Regina, hoping against hope that the queen would pick up. She sat down to the kitchen table and tapped her fingers on the wood. "Damn it, Regina, pick up the fucking phone!"

"Miss Swan, what do you want?" Regina appeared in the chair across from her. The queen looked exhausted and wired at the same time.

"You okay?"

"No, I should be napping with my mate right now. What do you want?" She demanded.

"What kind of a gift can you give a dragon who can magically conjure or buy anything they could ever want?" Emma asked, ignoring the queen's flippant attitude. She didn't have the time right now. "Me and Lily have our anniversary coming up and I want to do something nice for her."

Realization dawned on Regina's face and she nodded slowly. "Dragons, for all their ferocity and desire to be seen as these savage, alpha beasts, are complete and utter divas. The best thing you can do for Lily is to treat her like the queen she was always meant to be."

"But she hates when I do stuff like that." Emma frowned.

Regina shook her head. "She pretends to, Emma. She's just not used to it. What woman doesn't like to be waited on? That's what you should do: wait on her, dote on her, adore her, cater to her. Take her to the spa- better yet, give her a massage yourself. Run her a bath, fill it with bubbles and rose petals. Buy the most expensive wine you can find, prepare her a good dinner, give her a mani pedi, paint her nails." Regina shrugged. "Give her the most relaxing and wonderful day she's ever had because I'm sure she's never had one like it growing up in this world."

Emma nodded slowly. "Thanks."

"Oh, and top it off with sex." Regina nodded once. "Wait, not sex, make love to her. Make sure **you** do all the work. If a dragon submits to you, then she truly cares for you." The queen teleported away after that and Emma immediately got to her feet to get started.

/

Mulan was already aware of how to create a perfect day for her beloved. Even now Mal was already in the tub, relaxing as Mulan finished combing the small tangles out of her hair. The room was dim, with only some candles to light the way. Petals lay scattered everywhere and soft music was playing. The music could barely be heard however, over the sound of Mal, who was purring so hard the tub was nearly vibrating. Mulan grinned as she picked up a small ladle and scooped some of the bathwater to gently pour over Mal's shoulder.

"What is the occasion for this?" Mal asked slowly, eyes still closed.

"I can't show my appreciation for my favorite dragon?"

"I better be your favorite." Mal opened her eyes to find a naked Mulan straddling her lap.

"Today is the day many of us decided to show our mates a little love and appreciation. Not that we don't do that every day, but today...is special."

"How so?" Mal asked, bringing her hands up to grab Mulan and pull her closer.

"It's nearly the anniversary of when Ruby formed the pack." Mulan answered. A soft gasp escaped her lips when Mal kissed her neck, one hand slowly traveling beneath the water, between her legs.

"Uh huh…" Mal murmured with a smirk. Mulan gasped loudly when the dragon sank two fingers into her without warning. "And what else does my favorite savior of China have in store for me?"

"Dinner."

"And what will be on the menu?" Mal inquired, the idea of food quickly attracting her attention.

"Me."

/

Zelena's plan for Belle was rather simple. Belle herself was a simple person. She didn't really require extravagant and grand gestures, and even after all these years Zelena found herself highly inexperienced in such matters. After so long of never having anyone to love and to now be surrounded by more love than she knew what to do with, it was tricky finding the perfect way to show her appreciation for her favorite bookworm. In the end, she decided on a simple breakfast in bed to start off with. The rest would be up to Belle.

When Belle awoke, she found it odd that Zelena wasn't nearby. The witch was the furthest thing from an early bird so it was almost shocking to find her up and out of bed. She sat up and looked around, finding a small tray at the bottom of the bed, consisting of her favorite breakfast...and a little riddle.

 _I turn polar bears white  
and I will make you cry.  
I make guys have to pee  
and girls comb their hair.  
I make celebrities look stupid  
and normal people look like celebrities.  
I turn pancakes brown  
and make your champagne bubble.  
If you sqeeze me, I'll pop.  
If you look at me, you'll pop.  
Can you guess the riddle?_

Belle looked over the riddle twice, her mind instantly switching into beast mode to come up with the answer. Usually she could figure out these in seconds, but this one… "Oh. Duh. Can I guess the riddle? No." The room shook as a small passageway opened up in the wall. Belle grinned. "Zelena, what are you up to?" She quickly hopped out of bed and put on a robe to enter the passageway. She stepped in and found a staircase leading down. Interesting. She grabbed a flashlight and descended into the tunnel, but no sooner had she gone two steps the staircase flattened into a slide and she was thrown head first into a crazy spiral. A minute later she was dumped onto a green path. "What the hell, Zelena?" The brunette picked herself up and looked around, finding that she was no longer in the mountain den, but in a private garden bursting with plant life. It was an explosion of color and sunlight and Belle couldn't help bursting into a smile. She walked along the path until she came to a pond. On the other side was Zelena, laying naked in the sun and balancing a wrapped present on her feet.

"It's about bloody time." The witch called.

"How am I supposed to get over there?" Belle asked.

"You're the smart one, Love. Figure it out."

Belle rolled her eyes and looked around. There was nothing that she could use to construct a boat or something anywhere near. In the end, she removed her robe and her nightgown and dove into the water, swimming across to her redheaded beloved. She climbed onto the banks and crawled to Zelena. "I have to work for my day of appreciation?"

"Not anymore." Zelena handed her the gift and she quickly tore off the wrapping paper. Inside it was a book entitled Beauty and the Witch.

"Aw, Z. Is this our story?"

"A variation of it. I hope you like it, but before you begin it, we have something else to do that's practically a gift for the both of us."

Belle smirked. She knew exactly what kind of gift the witch spoke of. Sex in a garden equaled the best sex ever. While a spent Zelena relaxed in the sun, Belle used her back as a pillow and started to read the beautifully elaborate retelling of how they met and fell in love. "Zelena?"

"Hmm?" Zelena opened an eye to look at her little bookworm.

"Thank you for this, and I love you."

"I love you too."

/

For the main couples of the Lucas pack the day had gone perfectly and the bond between the pack members grew stronger in the process. But for one, a new bond was starting to form.

Tink had just finished cleaning up the living room from their last family movie night when an arrow suddenly struck the wall next to her head, cracking the stone. She pulled it out, noticing that she didn't recognize the feather. She couldn't tell if it was Merida's, Dorothy's or anyone else's, but it was a finely crafted arrow. Tied to the shaft was a message with only one word. Tonight. A smile touched the lips of the fairy.

"Tink?" Regina peeked back into the room. "You okay?"

"Um, yes. I'm just gonna head out for a while."

"Don't forget about our building plans tomorrow."

Tink smiled and kissed her cheek. "I won't. See you in the morning." She grabbed her coat and was gone in a flash, leaving Regina to wonder at who or what could possibly fluster and make the blonde smile so hard.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"They're fast." Ruby commented, watching Hansel and Gretel race around the meadow with the other pups. "You talk to their dad?" She looked over her mate, who nodded.

"He doesn't want them. Can't deal with them." Regina answered. "They'll be safe here, but they'll need to be changed to keep up."

"Yep. At least the kids will have more friends." Ruby said, turning back to the scene before her. Mal and Mulan stepped in to instruct the kids. Soon, they would be taken out on their first hunt and they needed to be taught how to work together. Ruby walked forward, Regina following, and approached the panting children. "Have any of you ever read a book on werewolves?" She inquired. The kids all looked at her and nodded, except for Hansel and Gretel. "Have any of you read those stupid angsty lone wolf fiction novels this world likes to spew out by the dozens?" They nodded again. "Forget all of that. Wolves are social creatures. Lone wolves are almost abnormal and boring. I used to hate being a werewolf, but now I embrace it. We are a better breed, a stronger force when we are happy being who and what we are. You're werewolves, part of the Lucas pack. There is no better place in the world to be." She smiled when the kids started cheering. "But listen. Being a werewolf isn't all about dominance and alpha this and beta that. It's about family. Raising children, hunting together, growing together. That is what a wolf pack really is and what it really means. One wolf is not a pack, and a pack isn't just a bunch of wild dogs. In order to hunt successfully, you need to see yourselves as one wolf, moving together, thinking together. That's why Regina and I decided to implement something new for your first hunt in a week."

Spencer gasped. "What is it?"

"Telepathy." Ruby answered. "We'll try it out tonight and learn how to work with it, and then by this time next week, you all will be going on your first hunt." The kids cheered again. "Hansel and Gretel, we'll have you shifted by then and have you fully installed in the pack, okay?" Gretel nodded. "Good. For now, Mal and Mulan will give you all a full tour of the territory. We'll catch up to you later." The kids followed the pair off into the woods and Ruby sat down in the grass, Regina following and crawling into her lap. "No more people in the pack." She said. "Or we'll have to do some remodeling."

Regina smiled. "You did a nice thing for them, giving them a home."

"It was you who convinced me." Ruby replied. They didn't need any stupid repercussions from the town about them stealing children. She didn't have any time for idiocy.

"Hmm." Regina hummed, nuzzling her mate's neck. "I like this."

"What?"

"This calmness. Being normal for once. Or how we envisioned our normal would be when you made the pack."

Ruby frowned. "Why do you keep saying I made the pack?"

"Because you did. And I love you for it." Regina kissed her lips and the wolf felt a warm flutter in her chest when she did. She couldn't help just staring at the former queen, the one who had made her dreams come true. It was because of Regina that she had this perfect life. She had a great place to live, a family, a pack, children, the love of her life, and no darkness. Well except for the pesky wolf locked in the basement. Besides that...life was pretty damn good. "What are you thinking so hard about?" Regina poked the lines in her forehead that formed when she was in deep contemplation.

"Just thinking of how much I love you." Ruby answered. "How you made my life so amazing."

"Oh...well, you're welcome." Regina grinned, rolling into the grass next to her.

Ruby grinned, pulling the woman back into her arms and laying in the grass with her. "I want you to know something, Gina?" Regina turned to look at her, eyebrow arching expectantly. "I know you never wanted to be queen. I know you hated it, probably still do, but...you'll always be a queen to me. Really, you'll always been **my** queen." Regina smiled, blushing at her heartfelt words. "Um, that's it. I just wanted you to know that."

"Thank you, Baby. And you will always be my beautiful, badass pet wolf and mate."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "I'm sick of you trying to outdo me." Regina laughed...and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

After a period of time, the pack children were allowed to go back to school and their return won them many admirers and a few more enemies, except for one that simply would not go away.

By the time the last period of the day rolled around, Henry was more than excited. He wasn't the most physical boy, never had been, but Emma had been working with him so he could join the school rugby team. Today was the day of the first practice and he was determined to make the starting team. Unfortunately for him, there were a few obstacles he would have to face that came in the forms of three werewolf dragon boys.

Emma, Regina, Zelena, Mulan and Ruby were in the small stands when he approached dressed for practice. A scowl contorted his face when he spotted Jack, Aaron and Shang also dressed to try out.

"Hey kid." Emma got up to greet him. "You ready?"

"What are they doing here?" He asked, nodding to the werewolves.

"They want to play too, I guess." His mother shrugged.

"Thought they hated it here." Henry growled. They were always complaining and bragging about how their stupid mountain was better than Storybrooke. He wished they would just stay there.

"Hey, don't worry about them. Worry about making one of the teams." Emma kissed the top of his head. "Go get 'em, Tiger."

He nodded and walked onto the field. There were about 30+ boys on the field and the coaches, Frederick, Princess Abigail's true love, and Neal, would have them go through several drills and scrimmages and split them up into two teams for the school. It would be a hard day, but Henry was determined. He didn't care that his dad was one of the coaches, he wanted to be the best.

"Alright!" Frederick's booming call sounded across the field. "Get to stretching!"

Henry sat down in the grass and started to go through his stretches. It wasn't long before he was joined by a smirking Jack. "What do you want?" He asked.

"Just came to wish you luck, Little Prince."

"I don't need it." Henry scoffed. "You probably do."

"How rude. After all, we might be on the same team. Even if we're not, you should get used to seeing me around. My picture is gonna be on all the bulletin boards in school." Jack flashed his dazzling smile that reminded Henry far too much of his former mother.

"I wouldn't count on it, Mutt. You and the other dogs should just go back to the forest and stay there since you wanted to leave town so badly."

Jack sighed. "You want to know a little something, Henry? Most animal species bare their teeth as a threat display. You know, of aggression. Of leadership. It serves as a terrifying reminder that these jaws can-and will- open your yielding throat with absolute glee for insulting my family." Jack let that statement stand, his eyes glowing to punctuate it. "Remember that the next time you see me smile." He flashed that signature smile and rose to rejoin his family. Henry fought off a scowl and stood up. He was not going to be intimidated by a flea bitten mutt.

Practice was exhausting. They ran suicides, did sprints, practiced handling, passing, agility, defensive and offensive formations, blocking, tackles, goaltending. By the time they got around to trying an actual scrimmage game the sun was starting to set and all of the boys were exhausted but determined to win this game. The score remained stagnant for the longest, until Jack found a way to slip through the defenders on Henry's team, using Aaron as a battering ram. Henry skirted two players and took off after him.

"Come on, Henry!" Emma yelled.

"Let's go, Jack!" Ruby and a newly arrived Marie yelled at the tops of their lungs.

Henry put on an extra burst of speed to try and catch up to Jack. Jack looked over her shoulder to see who was behind him. He smiled...Henry scowled and tried to dive at his legs, but Jack leaped over him and sailed into the painted area for a goal. His team erupted into cheers as he let out a loud wolf howl.

"Good run, Henry." Henry's friend, Josh said as he helped him to his feet. A former lost boy turned star athlete, he was Henry's truest confidante his age.

"Thanks." Henry sighed, arching his back.

"Alright!" Neal called. "Everyone pack up, go home and get some rest. The teams will be posted tomorrow in the cafeteria."

Henry returned to his mother's side, who immediately lifted him onto her shoulder. "That's my son! That's what I'm talking about!"

"What **are** you talking about? I didn't catch him."

"You almost did!" Emma dropped him back on the ground. "Betcha you make captain for that. How about we celebrate?"

"How about we celebrate after tomorrow? I'm beat, Mom."

"Of course." She grinned. "I'm proud of you, kid. I'll order out from Granny's instead."

Henry nodded and grabbed his backpack and gym bag. He looked up when he heard loud whooping. Ruby had all the kids on her shoulders and was jumping around like she was crazy. Regina was watching, shaking her head with a wide smile painted on her face. He was surprised she stayed as long as she did. Outdoorsy things didn't really sit well with her. Or at least he thought they hadn't. The pack disappeared in a cloud of purple smoke and he turned back to follow his mother to the car.

The next day Henry all but ran to the cafeteria. He wasn't surprised he was on his father's team, but he was glad he made captain. Unfortunately, Jack had made captain too, for Frederick's team.

"Told you, Little Prince." Jack said as he walked by with a smile.

"It's not like you'll win anything." Henry shot back.

"We'll see."

Henry rolled his eyes and looked at the list again. At least Josh was on his team. Their colors were red and blue and apparently they were the Avengers. **Dad couldn't come up with a better name than that?** The other team was dubbed the Wolves and their colors were black. Not surprisingly. The teams would practice on separate days. The Avengers had Monday and Wednesday. The Wolves had Tuesday and Thursday. Fridays were reserved for the games. It was certainly going to be an interesting season.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I've done it!" Belle yelled, racing into the kitchen where the women were preparing dinner.

"Done what, dear?" Zelena asked, coming to her side. Belle held the book she was holding up to the redhead's face. "You found it?!"

"What?!" Ruby asked.

"A way to defeat the darkness once and for all!" Belle screamed. "I am amazing. I deserve a reward for this. Alphas, let's talk about it."

Ruby laughed and took the book. "Belle, you can have anything you want." Regina peeked over her shoulder. It was an old tome and it depicted the Dark One's dagger without a name on it. Below it was a drawing of a flame. "It has to be burned and melted in the same fire in which it was forged. And...we need the rest of it."

"What? The hell do you mean rest of it?" Merida exclaimed.

"I mean," Ruby said, "That the dagger is just a piece broken off a sword. Excalibur."

"That's in Camelot." Regina offered. "In the Enchanted Forest."

Ruby slammed the book closed. "Looks like we're going on a road trip."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Read and Review!


	20. Chapter 20

The sun had nearly set by the time Emma made it to her special place. It gave her a perfect view into the small valley below. It was empty right now, but in a little while she knew it wouldn't be. She conjured a blanket on the grass and sat down, enjoying the peace and quiet of nature, at the same time trying to ignore Henry and his little friend behind her. She had wanted to come alone, but her son wouldn't take no for an answer. She tuned them out as best as she could while she waited. Tonight was a big night and she couldn't wait for it to begin.

A howl rose in the distance. She knew it was Regina's. She could recognize it anywhere by now. It was followed by a deeper howl, Ruby's. One by one the rest of the pack joined in, each one adding their own unique tone to the wolf song. Emma pulled her knees up to her chin, smiling when she heard Lily's. She had a special tune to hers and Emma knew it by heart as well. She took a deep breath. The hunt had begun.

"That's what you came here for?" Henry asked. "I could've downloaded a wolf howling from the computer, Mom. This is ridiculo-" The earth started shaking, cutting off his words.

Emma grinned as the shaking got worse. Henry and his friend dropped to her side and they looked out over the valley as the herd came into view. It was a massive group of deer, all of them running in tight formation, held there by the wolves surrounding them. The pack worked as a unit to corral the deer in the valley for easy pickings. It was then that Emma noticed that Regina and Ruby were in the back. That never happened. Someone else was leading the hunt. She frowned slightly when she spotted two new wolves among them. This was new.

Jack was at the head, commanding the pack. He seemed to be struggling to send out commands in time and Mal paid the price when she was almost gored by the male deer. Emma frowned, watching the disastrous hunt from above. "You can do it, Jack." She encouraged softly. She knew he could. Leading, ruling, was in his blood. He just needed to realize it.

The pack backed away but held their ground, keeping the herd in place. She watched Jack closely as he gave some kind of signal to Marie. The young she-wolf was a natural born leader and from what she could tell, his best friend. The pair of them took the lead and the hunt seemed to run smoother. They took down 4 deer and Mal and Mulan lead the rush to get them out of the valley.

Emma got to her feet and made her way down, followed closely by Henry and Nick.

"That's what you need to learn, son." Ruby was saying to Jack. "There are many wolves that lead alone, but here, you don't have to. I don't. I can't watch the entire herd at once. That's why Regina takes one side and I take the other. It's much easier, isn't it?"

Jack nodded and looked up at Marie. "Thanks, Rie."

"What would you without me?" She replied, flicking him with her tail as she passed, making her way over to her parents as they returned. She was met with pleased and proud nuzzles.

"I'm sorry, Mal. Are you okay?" Jack asked in concern.

"I've felt worse, pup. Don't worry about me." The dragon replied, nuzzling the top of his head.

"It was a good start for your first hunt." Regina lowered her head to look her son in the eye. "You will get better. Don't stop trying. I'm proud of you, you know, my wolf prince. Now, for your next lesson, you are going to drag that deer all the way back to the den."

"What will I learn from that?"

"Nothing, I just don't feel like carrying it." She raised her head when she noticed Emma's presence.

"Um…, hi guys." She said timidly, knowing that the pack had asked for privacy, but she couldn't help it. Regina only grunted softly, nodding to the others. The young wolves took three of the deer and started dragging them away. Mal was able to carry one by herself, but Belle helped anyway. The pack melted away, except for Lily.

"Sorry about that." The dragon said softly.

"They're still mad at me?" Emma asked.

"Not specifically you…" Lily jerked her head at Henry. "But it might just be they didn't want the meat to spoil." She suggested with a shrug.

"What did we do to them now?" Henry rolled his eyes.

Lily growled. "When will you learn to watch your mouth? You almost killed them is what you did, and you're also a little ass." She turned to Emma and licked her cheek. "Get home before nightfall, okay? I'll be over once I help in the kitchen."

Emma nodded simply and Lily turned, trotting off into the trees. She sighed and teleported them back to the house. She went straight into her room and waited until Lily arrived, slipping through her window with a triumphant grin.

"Goddamn, do you add a floor to this house every time I leave?" She let out a tired breath. "That gets harder every night."

"Maybe you should come in the front door." Emma suggested, leaping into her arms.

"No, I have to stay in shape. I've been gaining a lot of weight lately according to my mom." Lily walked them over to the bed and dropped her onto the sheets.

"You look great." Emma scoffed.

"I know. Don't need to tell me." Lily smirked.

"I'm sorry about Henry." Lily waved her hand dismissively and walked into the bathroom. Emma got undressed and laid back down on the bed on her back, awaiting her dragon. When Lily didn't return for a while, she got up and walked to the door. "Lily? Babe?" When no answer came, she turned the doorknob and peered in. Lily was naked, standing in front of the mirror, staring at her reflection. What drew her attention, was the brunette's stomach. It was distended a lot more than it should've been. Lily worked out regularly and was probably in better shape than Emma herself, but her stomach told a different story. "Lily?"

"I didn't even notice." Lily whispered. "We've been so preoccupied with the darkness, I didn't even…" She put a hand over her belly and rubbed it. At her feet was a little stick. Emma bent down to pick it up. A pregnancy test. A positive one.

"Are we going to have a baby?" Emma whispered.

Lily nodded, looking down, rubbing her tummy with both hands. "We are. I have to tell Mom and the rest of the pack." She turned to look at Emma, who was still stunned, still staring at Lily, where the life was growing inside of her. "Emma? Are you happy?"

"I'm…" She smiled. She hadn't even realized she was shaking, or that she was crying. But she was. They were going to have a baby. "I couldn't be happier." She said. She ran into Lily's arms and kissed her before dropping to her knees, looking at her lover's belly. "My baby is in there." After a few minutes they returned to the bed but Emma kept a hand on Lily's stomach as the dragon slowly drifted off into dreamland. Emma lay awake for some time, enjoying the sound of Lily's soft purring. They were having a baby.

"Go to sleep." Lily growled, sleepily nuzzling her neck.

"I can't." She was too happy, too excited. She wanted it. More than anything. She was more than ready for this next step. Then she remembered Henry. There was no telling how he would react. She hoped he would be okay with it.

/

As soon as the pack heard the news they had a celebration almost immediately. Lily was almost overwhelmed by how happy everyone was. Her mom almost lost her mind when she heard that her dragonling was expecting and her siblings dogpiled her right then and there.

Lily pulled her alphas away from the party for a quick moment. "Look, guys, I just wanted you to know that I'm not going anywhere. Me and Emma haven't talked about anything yet but I just wanted you to know that I'm still gonna be a part of the pack."

"It's okay, Lily. You'll always have a place here either way." Ruby assured her. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks." Lily smiled and took a deep breath. "I'm pretty nervous."

"Don't be." Regina smirked. "You have your pack now. We're gonna be with you every step of the way."

"And um, about the whole thing with Emma and Henry-"

Regina waved her hand for silence. "We'll discuss that with Emma and Henry later. Right now, enjoy your party."

"It's your party too." Lily scoffed. Regina facepalmed herself as Ruby's smile disappeared in an instant. "You haven't told her?"

"Never found the right time." Regina returned. "Go have fun. I'll deal with this."

"Deal with this?!" Ruby exclaimed. "Are you pregnant?"

Lily slipped back over to her party while the alphas talked. She was almost immediately pulled into Mal's embrace. "I am so proud of you, Lilith. I could not be more happy for you."

"Thanks, Mom." She laughed as Mal lifted her off the ground in a bearhug. "But I'm gonna need your help with all this dragon egg birthing stuff."

"Of course." Her mother put her back down and kissed the top of her head. "You know I'll help you with whatever you need. How far along are you?"

"Not long enough for us to be worrying right now." Lily assured her.

"To Lily!" Mulan said, raising a goblet of wine. Everyone else quickly grabbed something to toast as well and cheered her and her unborn offspring. She wondered if Emma was getting the same reactions.

/

"You're having a baby?" Snow whispered.

Emma nodded, folding her hands in her lap, completely unable to hide the hopeful smile on her lips. "Me and Lily are. She's the one who's pregnant." She looked over at her father but his face was impassive and it had remained that way since hearing the news. Her son was sitting between them on the couch, but his face wasn't nearly as hard to read.

"You're going to leave too?" He asked.

She frowned. "What? What are you talking about?"

"Mom-Regina left to go live in the woods with those other mutts. You going to join them?" He hissed, standing up.

Emma stood up as well, looking down at her son with a hard glare. "Regina left to be happy, Henry. You need to stop being mad at her about that because it isn't like you gave her any attention before she left. You need to stop calling them mutts and dogs too. And no, I'm not going anywhere. I'm the mayor."

"But if you weren't you would go join them?!"

"No! What is your problem, Henry?" She simply did not understand, could not understand all of the animosity he harbored towards the pack. No child should hate this much and she couldn't for the life of her figure out where she went wrong with him. Was he really still upset that Regina left? Did he really feel abandoned by the mother he basically abandoned? She had tried, always tried to get him to spend time with Regina, but her parents and Neal always managed to get him to do something else. She shook her head. This wasn't about Henry right now. This was about her and Lily and the baby they would soon have. Henry didn't answer her question so she sat back down and he eventually did as well. "You're going to be a big brother, Henry. That's not going to change. Just because I'm having another child doesn't mean I won't be around for you. I will do everything in my power to make time for the both of you. That won't change either. What _can_ always change is whether any of you will be in this child's life. If you don't want to be, then fine. That's perfectly okay. Henry, you're my son so the baby will still be around anyway." She looked up at her parents. "But with you two, if you really want to try and alienate your grandchild because of their other mother, that's just fine...but don't expect me around either." Her father had yet to say a word and her mother seemed to be processing everything. She finally stood up and walked out, Henry trailing behind her. She didn't drive off when they got into the car.

"I don't want to talk right now, Mom." Henry said, staring ahead.

"Good, then you can listen." She replied. "I don't know what's going on with you. You won't talk to me, you won't talk to your grandparents or your father. I can't help you, Henry, if you won't talk. Maybe you could go see Archie again-"

"I don't want to."

"And I'm not forcing you, but you really need to change your attitude. I don't know what can be done. You've been grounded for a month, you've been captured several times, just got your arm out of a cast from meddling. I don't care who you talk to, but talk to someone, because this is not going to work." She waited for a couple minutes to see if he would eventually speak. "You know, Regina told me about you going to watch them Run at nights."

"Did she now?" He scoffed, turning to look out the window.

"If this is still about her leaving-"

"That was years ago, and not everything's about her." He snapped. "You know they're all you talk about. They left because they didn't want anything to do with us, but you're always trying to find them, always talking to them, always trying to be friends with them. They don't care, so why should you? They only tolerate you because of Lily. All they care about is themselves."

She sighed and rolled her eyes as she started the car and started the drive back home. "You know, there are kids in this world who would kill to be in your place. You have a mother and a father and grandparents who would do anything for you. That's a thousand times more than what I had growing up. On top of that, you have a town that caters to your every whim. You're the captain of your rugby team, you make good grades and you have lots of friends. With all of that, you mean to tell me that you still aren't happy?" Her phone flashed and she glanced down to find it was a text from Lily. She ignored it since she was driving. When they got back to the house, she parked and remained in the car. Henry seemed to sense she was going to speak again and waited. "You want to be a hero, Henry?"

"I am a hero." He replied.

"No, you're not. Heroes don't treat people like they are less than human. You can't even call Regina or any others from the pack by their names without adding in mutt or dog. That's not being a hero. When did you start thinking that it was okay to treat people that way?" She paused, silently fuming. "Think about this, Henry, if the pack treated you the way you treat them, you would hate them. You would know that the way you're acting is beyond ridiculous." Again, he didn't respond and she almost growled to herself as she got out of the car. Both mother and son went straight to their rooms without another word to each other. Emma collapsed onto her bed and called Lily. A moment later, her lover appeared and sat down on the bed.

"How'd it go?"

Emma sighed and swallowed. Her eyes burned, the hot tears hiding behind them almost hurt. Lily pulled her into her arms and held her. "I don't know what I'm doing, Lily."

"What do you mean, babe?"

"My parents barely reacted to finding out that we were having a baby and Henry just got angry and it-it makes me so mad because none of them care. I-I can't...I basically yelled at Henry. If I can't even figure out how to help the son I do have, how can I be a mother to another kid? I wasn't ready before, maybe I'm not-"

"Hey," Lily said firmly, tilting her head so she could wipe away the blonde's tears. "There is so much pressure on you. To be the perfect mayor, the perfect Savior, the perfect mother, the perfect daughter. Take a deep breath and just forget all of that. Just focus on me and you right now. Okay?" Lily took a few deep breaths and kissed her forehead. "Everything is going to be okay."

"No, it won't. I don't know how to make them happy again."

"That's not your job. You don't have to do shit for your parents. They didn't do shit for you. And as for Henry, he just needs to understand that the world doesn't revolve around him anymore. He'll get over it, and even if he doesn't he shouldn't dictate your happiness. Your job is to prepare him for the world and you've done that-"

"You mean Regina did that." Emma reminded her.

Lily scoffed. "You both did. Besides, if not for the stupid aging curse, wouldn't he be in his rebellious teenage years anyway? Maybe it's just that time of the month for him."

Emma snorted, a small smile starting to form. "Lily, what are you even talking about?"

"I don't know, but it made you smile and that's all I care about. Now, have you eaten?"

"No."

"Then go take a shower, unwind, relax, and I'll make you something to eat."

"No, I should be doing it-"

"I'm not taking no for an answer. Now move that pretty ass of yours." Lily gave her a kiss on the forehead and gave her a gentle push towards the bathroom. Once the blonde was inside she shrugged off her coat and removed her shoes, making herself at home. She went downstairs and into the kitchen to find something to cook. To say she was pissed was an understatement. The Charmings were such idiots and Henry was just like them. She wished she could take Emma into the woods, into the trees and disappear into the bushes and keep her there so she wouldn't have to deal with other people's nonsense. She could see it on her girlfriend's face that she was tired. She wished she could spirit Emma way like Ruby did Regina, give her a new life, one where she was truly happy. But she knew Emma would never leave Henry behind. He was probably the only real reason Emma stayed. Other than that most of her ties to Storybrooke were now in the wolf pack.

"Hope you made something good." Emma said, bounding into the kitchen with a bright smile.

Lily frowned. "That wasn't long enough to relax."

"I'm too tired to relax." Emma scoffed.

Lily looked down at the pans she had taken out before throwing them back into the cabinets. "Let's go hunting." She said, spinning around to face the blonde.

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Come on. You and me." She walked to the front door and Emma called to Henry that she was leaving before racing out the door, bouncing excitedly on her toes. Lily smirked. She was such a child. With a wave of her hand they became wolves. Emma stood out like a sore thumb in the darkness due to her snow white fur. Lily was able to blend in a little more and took the lead. After a big hunt like the previous one was, the pack would push the herd away from the mountain into a larger valley. When they wanted to go hunting again, a small team would break the herd into pieces and chase them back into pack lands. Only those with good stamina, like Ruby, Zelena or Mal, were chosen for that position. However, with the new additions the positions were shifting. Changes needed to be made to accomodate the pack's growing numbers.

"This is so much fun!" Emma whooped, racing ahead, occasionally tripping but not caring in the least. Lily kept pace with her, making sure they stayed away from where the pack Ran at nights. Her alphas assured her they would try to work things out, but she didn't want to cause any problems beforehand.

/

"So what's going on with the pack?" Emma asked, digging in to the stew Lily had managed to make for them after they hunted down some rabbits and a quail. The dragon had then made them a campfire and conjured a pot of water, some spices and vegetables. Emma watched her silently as she skinned and gutted the meat before adding it to the pot. Her stomach was rumbling by the time Lily served her a bowl.

"Right now a lot of things." Lily replied, eating a bowl of stew of her own. "In a couple days Ruby was going to lead a small party to Camelot with Mom. We might've found a way to get rid of the Dark Wolf forever but they need a certain type of fire. I think they're rethinking their plans right now."

"Why? Did it get out?" Emma quickly looked up.

"No, of course not." Lily smirked. "That son of a bitch isn't going anywhere now that we've got it under lock and key. Ruby might change who goes on the trip because Regina's pregnant."

Emma almost choked. "What? Since when?"

"I think she's about a month further along than I am. With everything that's been happening with the Dark Wolf, she wanted to focus on taking it down before worrying about pregnancies. Ruby just found out tonight. Accidentally."

Emma narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend. "Accidentally?"

"Okay, it was my fault." Lily laughed to herself.

"Who were the two new guys I saw the other day?"

"Hansel and Gretel. Dad decided he didn't want them so we took them in. They were already friends with the pups so they fit right in." The dragon shrugged and ate another mouthful of stew.

"Well, that was nice of you-" Her words were cut off with the ground started to shake. Howls arose in the distance and Lily was on her feet in a second, listening for the wolves above the rumbling in the earth. The trees started shaking, like they had minds of their own. The leaves in the wind hurt her ears and she covered them, just as Lily covered her, protecting her while still looking around and listening. But the quaking only grew worse, as if God himself was trying to rip Storybrooke apart with his bare hands. Emma looked down when she felt something on her foot. Tiny forest rodents were dashing across her feet, followed by rabbits and deer herds, all running for their lives. Behind them came the great thuds of trees, their trunks snapping like the cracks of a whip. They crashed to the ground, one by one as all types of wildlife attempted to escape the upheaval. Lily shook her arm.

"Emma, come on! Follow me!" Lily shifted and took off. Emma quickly followed. She struggled to keep pace with her lover. She tripped a few times but she forced herself to keep going. After a few minutes the earthquake stopped, but up ahead they could hear howling and whimpering.

"Lily!" Maleficent burst onto the path and quickly nuzzled her oldest child. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, what the hell's going on? Where is everyone?"

"I don't know. I lost them during the divide. Come with me, we have to find the kids."

"What's the divide?" Emma panted as she followed them. The ground suddenly fell away to a rise overlooking the result of the heavy tremors. A deep, almost canyon-like fissure split the forest floor in half. Chunks of the edges were still falling, preventing the pack from getting too close to see over it. A few more trees fell into the chasm below. The wolves were running around, trying to collect their loved ones.

"Take the left." Mal commanded.

Lily and Emma sprinted to the left and made their way to the edge where Zelena and Belle were almost dragging their terrified children to safety. Mulan climbed out of the fissure with an unconscious Shang in her jaws. Emma slowly edged her way forward to peer down. She could only just see the bottom. She pricked her ears when she heard the faint sound of whimpering.

"Help me." A soft voice whispered and she looked down at the crack in the earth between her legs. There was a hole just large enough for her to see the fur inside.

"Gretel? Is that you?" She started furiously digging, unearthing the petrified little she-wolf and her brother. She pulled them out and Dorothy and Tink almost immediately grabbed them and carried them off to safety.

"Have you guys seen Regina and Jack?" Ruby asked, limping towards her.

Lily healed her leg with a light tap. "No, we just got here-" A sudden scream cut her off as Jack came flying out of the divide, landing hard, but unharmed.

"Jack, are you okay?' Ruby asked, nuzzling his fur and looking him over for any sign of injury.

"Incoming!" Marie came flying out as well and landed on top of them. She got up and shook herself off after Mal climbed out behind her. "Mom, you didn't have to throw me so hard." Mal gave her head a lick and nudged her towards Mulan and the others. Marie and Jack raced off at her command and Ruby lead the search for Regina. The rest of the pack was accounted for and Ruby sent them back to the den and see if there was any damage. The rest of them turned to look back at the massive crack in the earth that now divided half the forest. Most of the trees were either laying on their side or threatening to fall into the fissure.

"What could have caused this?" Lily asked.

"I don't know, but we need to find Regina right now." Ruby howled to see if her mate would respond. The ground started to shake again, causing even more rockslides. The Dark Wolf appeared before them, Regina laying at its feet, curled into a tight ball with her paws curled into her stomach. It was difficult to tell whether she was actually hurt or not, but no one wanted to take any chances.

"Did you really think you could imprison me? Did you really think that you could stop me?!" The wolf roared. It stomped its paws, causing the ground to shake some more. "Weak. Pathetic. Worthless. That is all you are! You can't defeat the darkness!"

Ruby growled. "When I say go, get Regina and get the hell out of here." Emma nodded. Lily growled, but nodded as well. Ruby suddenly barrelled forth, slamming into the Dark Wolf. "Go!" Emma and Lily dove forward and grabbed Regina by her scruff. The former queen whimpered as they swiftly carried her to the edge of the forest where Mulan and Tink had waited. They took over and carried Regina off. Ruby and the Dark Wolf were still locked in battle, the sounds of it echoing throughout the half fallen forest. Emma was actually shocked that a wolf could make such sounds. Mal was doing her best to separate them, at the very least get Ruby away before she got killed. That's when the ground started to give away. Mal shifted in her dragon form and ripped the two battling wolves apart. She threw the Dark Wolf down into the chasm, knocking a few more giant chunks of earth in before she grabbed Emma and Lily in her back talons as she flew into pack territory, quickly crossing the border. The mountain seemed untouched for the moment, but none of the pack had gone back inside. Maleficent landed and dropped Emma and Lily while nearly crushing Ruby, who was still going crazy. With the alphas otherwise engaged, the betas stepped in. Belle lead the pack back into the mountain and sent Granny to deal with Regina, while Zelena dealt with Ruby. Maleficent slowly opened her claws. Ruby was too exhausted to do anything besides lay there and allow both women to tend to her extensive wounds. In the end, Mal put her to sleep and carried her inside the mountain.

"Look at all this." Zelena said, looking back at the forest that lay in ruins. "We'll have to start clearing the trees soon."

"Now?" Emma asked. "You don't want to wait? The Dark Wolf is free."

"It can't cross Ruby's border." Zelena answered. "We're just going to have to send Mal and a detachment to get the ingredients she needs as soon as possible. Meanwhile, Lily, you should start organizing a group to clear the trees that are a problem." Lily nodded. "I'll get a patrol to check the border and make sure it hasn't been tampered with. Emma, you should get home and check on your town."

"Oh shit, she's right." Emma said. Honestly the town hadn't crossed her mind. "Can I come back later to help you guys?" She asked. Zelena simply nodded, already leaving to get everything ready for the coming days. Emma nuzzled Lily. "I'll be back soon. Don't go outside the border. I'll just come to you now."

"Be safe." Lily licked her cheek.

Emma wagged her tail as she trotted off. It was rough going with all of the fallen trees. She changed back into a human as she reached a side street. Storybrooke was mostly untouched, with some mild damage to the buildings. She soon found out that the dwarf tunnels had collapsed. Every single one. And everyone was losing their minds. That was the least surprising thing that occurred. She called a town meeting an hour later just to shut everyone up.

"What are you doing about this?" Leroy demanded. "Do we have to go get these wolves ourselves?"

"Why did they let the Dark Wolf free again?" Someone else called.

"Why are we letting them remain free again?" Another person yelled.

Emma looked out over the sea of faces looking to her for guidance. She took a deep breath, silently wondering what would happen if she just walked out right now. Her parents and her son were in the front row, watching expectantly. She smoothed down the front of her blazer and took a deep breath. "Shut the hell up!" Silence crashed upon them almost instantly. "Much better. Now, the Dark Wolf was not let free. It escaped. It caused the earthquake. It was injured soon after breaking free and its focus is not the town. For the moment, everything should be fine. Do not, I repeat, do not, in any way attempt to go after the Dark Wolf or the Mills Pack-"

"Why not?" Leroy snapped. "Just because you're all buddy buddy with them doesn't mean we should be. They could be plotting right now-"

"To do what?" She sighed. "You have nothing they want. They don't care about a single one of you. Their priority is taking down the Dark Wolf and living their own lives. You should try that second part, Leroy." She glared him into submission before addressing the crowd again. "If anything changes, you all will be the first to know."

"Will we?" Whale stood up. "While you're running around in the woods, we're left to-"

"Enough!" Emma roared. "From the day I was elected, have there been any other problems besides the Dark Wolf?" Silence followed her question. "I didn't think so. As I said, if there is anything that would threaten the lives of the people of this town, you will be the first ones to know so you can take action." That seemed to be enough to assuage their fears. "No hunting until this matter is resolved. No going into the forest. Robin, you and your Merry Men can stay at the B&B until it's safe to go back to your camp. Is that clear?" There were murmurs of agreement and everyone started to file out. She stepped down as Granny walked in. "Robin and his men need the B&B."

Granny waved the matter away. "I don't care about that. I came to see how you were doing. No injuries from the quake?"

Emma smiled and shook her head. "How are the alphas?"

Granny sighed. "Could be better. Regina took a hard knock to the head. She's still out and so is Ruby. Zelena is getting things squared away. Mal, Merida, Tink and Belle went to Camelot to try and get this fire. The kids are still shaken up."

"I don't blame them." Emma replied. "Do you need any help-"

"You need to sleep." Granny commanded. "Do that and then come find us."

"But-"

"Don't care. Go home and get some rest."

"Okay, but is Lily okay? Does she need anything?"

"Emma."

"Okay." Emma sighed. "But if Lily needs anything, call me, please." Granny nodded. Emma grabbed her things and gpt ready to leave. She glanced at her son. "You coming home, Henry?" He simply shook his head and she shrugged before teleporting herself home. Sleep was hard to come by, even if she was exhausted. When she managed to get through a good 6 hours she woke up even more tired than when she went to bed. She eventually got up and took another shower, getting dressed in a pair of old jeans, boots and a long sleeved shirt. She made her way downstairs to find Henry doing his homework in the living room.

"Going to see your pets?" He asked, watching her grab an apple out of the kitchen.

"I'm going to go see Lily. And watch your mouth." She commanded, grabbing her jacket. "You're grounded. No games, no comic books, no tv, no friends."

"For what?"

"Again…" Emma scowled. "Watch your mouth. Until you learn to act like a child again, this is the way it's going to be. There's really no reason to be upset. You brought this on yourself. Love you." She smiled, teleporting straight to the border. She texted Lily and the border dissolved just enough to let her pass. When she crossed, it closed behind her. She would spend the entire day helping the pack clear the trees, stacking most of them into small pyramids for later use. The rest were magically reattached to their stumps by Lily. By the end of the day, she was exhausted and found herself falling asleep abruptly while waiting for dinner.

"Miss Swan, what are you doing in my den?" Ruby's growl woke her from her sound sleep and Lily was quickly beside her.

"Wait, Ruby, she was just-"

"I didn't ask you, Lily." Ruby hissed. She looked at Emma, watching with disdain as the blonde scrambled back to her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I-I know you said you wanted your space, but I just wanted to help. I'll leave if you want me to."

"Not at all. In fact, I need your help with something." She turned to leave and Emma realized that what sounded like anger in her voice, was only pain. The alpha was limping and leaning on a crutch. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, just sore." Ruby replied, leading them down into the library. Lily helped her sit down to the large table that was currently covered in drawn diagrams, writings and scrolls. "Sorry about the mess, Belle was hard at work for us."

"Looks better than my bedroom." Emma replied.

"To business." Ruby said. Emma quickly nodded. "We've been trying to fight the Dark Wolf with fire. Dragon fire, and even though it's the brightest light of all, it's not the purest. Belle deduced that we need pure light magic. Your magic. Do you understand?" Emma nodded again. "We need you to challenge the Dark Wolf. It can't disregard a direct challenge, especially from someone it sees as inferior. Your light magic should keep it busy while we get into position."

"You aren't going to wait for Mal and the others to get back?" She frowned.

"No, Mal knows what we're doing. I gave them 3 days to get the fire and get back. We can't leave the Dark Wolf out there. Just as I am recovering, so is it."

"With all due respect, Ruby," Emma said. "I think you should focus on your pack and your kids and make sure they're okay. Attacking now, when you're not even full strength, could do more harm than good." Ruby arched an eyebrow and she swallowed, glancing at Lily. "You should wait until Mal and the others are back, attack the Dark Wolf with everything you have. I know you want to destroy this thing as soon as possible, I do too, but attacking prematurely could be disastrous." Ruby blinked, still looking up at her. "That's if you want to…" She said, looking down, afraid of what would happen if Ruby got angry. She would probably get thrown out and she couldn't be there for Lily being stuck outside the border.

"Why are you suddenly so afraid to speak?" Ruby asked, frowning. "I don't need you afraid, Emma. I need you as pissed as I am, okay?" Emma quickly nodded. Ruby slowly stood up. "Alright then. I'll be fully recovered by tomorrow. If Regina hasn't woken up or she doesn't agree with it, then we're going ahead with the plan. Will you be there-"

"Absolutely."

Ruby nodded. She dipped her head to Lily and limped out of the room. Emma sighed and looked at Lily.

"You okay?' The dragon asked.

"Yeah, I just thought she might attack me or something."

"She has more important things to think about." Lily shrugged. "Me and Zelena are going to the basement to see if we can figure out how the Dark Wolf broke free. You coming?"

"Am I allowed?" Emma asked.

"Emma, you don't need permission-"

"Of course I do." Emma scoffed. "I don't want the pack to see me as an enemy or nuisiance." Lily tilted her head. "This is your home, your family is here. I know for a fact that you won't leave, and I don't want you to. But it's been made very clear that I don't belong here, but I need to at least be able to come here. To see our baby. And I would rather be away from you across the barrier than have you leave it and be attacked."

"Who said you don't belong here?" Lily walked around the table to her side.

"Quite a few people." Emma shrugged. "But I don't care about anyone's opinions of me or the pack. I care about you and my kids. Maybe the town…"

Lily smiled and kissed her forehead. "One day, I'm gonna find a way. I'm gonna find the way to make you so happy, you will lose your mind. And I'm gonna keep you that way, so no one can tear you away from me."

Emma smiled. "I'm not going anywhere, Lily."

/

Ruby leaned against the doorway to their bedroom, hissing as her aching muscles were forced to move. Regina would kill her if she knew she was up, but taking care of the pack came before everything. She took a deep breath and limped in to find Regina wide awake, sitting on the bed. In the palm of her hand, was a heart. A heart glowing bright white. "Regina?"

"We need to go find Gold." She said, getting out of bed. She held up the heart to her mate's face. "This is my heart, free of darkness completely. This is how it's healing itself. That's why it's never weaker because it's not using its own magic to heal itself."

"It's using the darkness in everyone else." Ruby realized. "Then it has an almost limitless supply to feed off of."

"And a buffet in Gold. We need to find him and get him across the barrier immediately."

"The two of you aren't going anywhere." Zelena said after they quickly explained to her what was going on. "Regina, you suffered a serious blow to the head and Ruby, you can barely walk."

"And you need to rest." Regina countered.

"I'll go." Mulan said. "I'll take Lily and Emma. We'll see if he's there first and if he is then Lily can just teleport us here."

Regina watched with worry as they left. The Dark Wolf was free, their strongest warriors were gone, they had no way to defeat it. "Fuck!"

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